


Dissociate

by KaguraHale



Category: Naruto
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Anime, F/M, Fighting, Love, Manga, Murder, Ninja, Revenge, Romance, UST, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-29
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-02-23 18:15:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 37,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13195797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaguraHale/pseuds/KaguraHale
Summary: ♥ Aiko is more than the most talented medical ninja to come out of the Okumura clan in generations, she's also the biggest disgrace to her family and the one her father and mother happen to hate the most out of all their kin. Her bruises get explained away as faults on her part and the only solace she finds is in a particularly troubled Uchiha who has always been there when she needed him most. But when she catches him trying to leave Konoha without saying goodbye, she begs him to take her along. And out on her own, she finds that she should have run away to start a new life a long time ago. ♥





	1. Prologue

        Thinking back, she couldn't really pinpoint where it had all started. Or even  _why_. Not a single corner of her mind shone with a brightness of better days—happier ones. She had only ever known the pain. The  _darkness_. That all encompassing void of loneliness. A gaping cavern of solitude and smallness. All because of her family. They  _made_  her feel small, made her feel insignificant. Worthless. Though, there was no doubt she was the most skilled medical ninja in the entire Okumura family—in all of Konohagakure, even—but she was also their blight.

        Aiko Okumura had compassion, she felt for everyone—sympathized with the weak—she brought her family shame. The Okumura clan valued power over kindness, advantage over the weak. Aiko was valuable because of her skill, valuable because she was born into the main family and was next in line to become High Priestess, but everything else about her was a frustration to her kin.

        So she was hated, locked away when not useful. Her medical prowess was impressive, but it couldn't make up for the disgraceful reputation she brought her clan. In their eyes, anyway.

        And that's why she was here, in this impenetrably dark, immaculately clean, massive room.

        The Temple of the Okumura clan. Their own private sanctuary within their compound.

        Aiko couldn't see the corners or edges of the room. A lack of windows and too few lit candles made the depths seem impossibly large. She had been here for a long time, her red hair a mess on her head, no knowledge of how much time had passed. All she knew was that when she had been locked in here with her own thoughts, the candles were tall and numerous. Now they were unimpressive stumps that melted down the sides of the long, thin tables that lined the sides of the single, stretching rug that ran down the middle of the room—stopping at the far end where an alter stood, stone brazier sitting atop, dead but embers glowing.

        Her knees ached from sitting but she was too tired to stand and walk about the room. She could feel her eyelids drooping, the hazy candlelight threatening to pull her into a dreamless slumber. But she wouldn't let that happen. Always in the back of her mind, she  _feared_. If her father unlocked the Temple doors and found her sleeping... she shuddered at the thought. Aiko had only done that once. The bruises she received that had taken over a week to fade reminded her to not make that same mistake again. Though, she admitted that she didn't know why it was important for her to stay awake. Not that anything her family did to her made any sense.

        She wished Naruto could be with her. Always comforting, always banishing her troubles for a little bit, always making her laugh. She looked up to him like a brother—imagined him as the family she ought to have. But then, that dream was always shattered when she had to go back home.

        She could still hear the screams of her father—she always heard them:  _'How many times do we need to discuss this?! You are FORBIDDEN to interact with that cretin of a child! His very existence is shameful! That demon of a beast inside him taints him! Have I made myself clear, Aiko?!'_

        And always, she never answered—she could only look away, never meeting that hateful gaze of the man she called Father.

        And always, he hit her.

        It repeated. She never learned from his yelling. The beatings never dissuaded her from seeing her friend. It was worth it, in the end, to her. Aches and pain in trade for a little brightness in her life. Just a little bit of happiness. Just a moment of it all appearing to be better than it was.

        She could never bring herself to tell Naruto that he was the reason she had bruises all the time, though. No, that would hurt him too greatly. And knowing that infamous Uzumaki, he would try to help. Which she knew would just make it all the more worse.

        So she was just  _Aiko the Clumsy_.

 

_'I'm fine, Naruto, I just tripped.'_

_'I didn't see those tree roots, and I hit the ground quicker than I could get my arms up to save my face, haha.'_

_'You know me, I never watch where I'm going.'_

 

        If he knew she was lying, Naruto never showed it. And she was grateful. She didn't want to spend the little free time she had arguing with the blond that she didn't need anyone's help—didn't want anyone to get involved.

        It was a little different with Sasuke Uchiha.

        He never pushed to get entangled in her issues, but Aiko always felt comfortable enough to talk with him about anything. He knew what she was going through, knew of the cruelty, understood just how much they hated her. Naruto might have been like her brother, but Sasuke was her rock—her confidant.

        And it broke her heart completely when Itachi had murdered the entire Uchiha clan.

        Whatever happiness she and Sasuke used to share now felt dwarfed by the weight of Sasuke's depression and desire for revenge. Though, it didn't stop them from caring about each other, nor caused a rift to form between them. On the contrary, they were now closer than they had ever been. Sasuke's pain allowed him to sympathize with Aiko more, and she vise versa. They still valued their time together. Just, now, they spent less time talking about a bright future together, and more talking about Sasuke's plan to gain power to kill his brother.

        Despite all that, despite Sasuke's newfound drive, he never tried to push Aiko to feel the same. He understood that she wasn't like him. Aiko didn't want to kill her family. Even through all the abuse, she still loved them. And her fear consumed her too greatly to even think of running away.

        So here she sat—watching as Sasuke seemed to grow larger, always overcoming the obstacles put in front of him, and she just stayed the same.

 

        Aiko felt disoriented from her exhaustion. Her tiredness was making her vision swim ever so slightly, the corners of the room seeming to shake with an ominous life. The candlelight flickered, casting odd shadows on the wood walls that twisted swam, flailing inky shadowed limbs. Her heartbeat was slow but loud in the deafening silence. She could hear every pulse of her blood pumping through her veins.

        She just wanted to sleep.

_Thump, thump._

        Her head bobbed against her chest as she sat in the middle of the room.

_Thump, thump._

        Maybe she could just close her eyes for a second?

_Tap, tap, thump._

        Were those footsteps? No, she shook her head, she was imagining things.

_Tap, tap, tap._

        It was getting louder. Aiko realized it was the sound of someone approaching and her gut twisted violently. She was suffering in this room but it was nothing compared to  _out there._

        The door behind her slid open, wood grating against wood on the floor. Aiko didn't turn. She was afraid of what she might see. Instead, she forced away all signs of her fatigue and sat up straight, staring ahead into the darkness.

        “You can come out now, Aiko,” a voice called. Emotionless, it chilled her. That deep, familiar sound felt like spiders crawling on her skin. She paled and felt week as she slowly rose to stand then turned to leave the Temple. The bare, exposed skin of her feet softly slapped at the polished wood beneath her. She kept her gaze downcast, unwilling and too fearful to meet the cold gaze of her father.

        She stopped in front of him, he was blocking her way out. Just being in his presence unnerved her. She hated the uncomfortable-ness of even being around him.

        “Dinner is ready. You will eat, then you will go to your room for the night.”

        The red head didn't respond. She stared ahead, her eyes level with her father's chest. He wore his favorite robe, a plain shirt underneath, completed with matching pants. She focused on the silver trim that complimented the patterned grey, or the lotus-like symbol of the Okumura clan that was emblazoned on one side of the chest—anything but looking into his eyes. Those ever brooding, always disappointed, silver eyes.

_Slap!_

        “Look at me, and answer when spoken to.” His voice was dead. She knew he didn't really care, it was just an excuse to hit her.

        Aiko spoke slowly to keep herself from stumbling over her words and looked up into that chrome gaze, meeting it with her own blue one, “Yes, sir.”

        Her father nodded, feigning satisfaction, then led his daughter out of the Temple into the main house

        Regretfully, the Okumura compound rested on Konohagakure's outskirts, safely harboring Aiko away from society. It was a grand collection of large, mansion-esque homes, protectively lined by an elegant stone wall. The Temple sat at one far end of the compound, away from the wall's entrance and proudly towering over the rest of the buildings. A well-kept, modish pond and small garden, complete with a large shishi odoshi, sat in the center of it all. The pond was crystal clear and lined with beautiful, dark stones. Little koi even swam carelessly within, disappearing beneath lily pads and reemerging to swim in lazy circles.

        Aiko wished she could be so carefree.

        At least her family had groundskeepers who took excellent care of the fish.

        Her family was only monsters to  _her_ , it seemed.

 

        Inside the main house, Aiko followed her father as they made their way to the dining room. The rest of her family was already there, lining the long table with horrible faces that all upturned their noses at the sight of her.

        She took her seat at a corner of the table, across from her mother and diagonal from her father's head seat.

        “Did you have to fetch her, Karasu?” Aiko's mother asked, digging into the food on her plate. She was a snake but Aiko always found her mother incredibly beautiful.

        “She needs to eat, Nanami. How can she be High Priestess if she's starved?” Karasu replied, voice hollow.

        “I think going without would do her some good. Maybe it would encourage her to lose a little weight.”

        “Like that would do any good,” one of Aiko's aunts contributed. “It's not like she cares about the image of this family.”

        Nanami nodded, her expression darkening, “I know that all too well, sister.”

 

_* * *_

 

        Aiko was all too glad to retreat to her room after quickly eating dinner to get away from everyone. She couldn't stand it, she didn't understand what made them hate her. It couldn't just be that she was friends with Naruto. It couldn't just be that she was compassionate. Those weren't things someone would hate another for so vehemently.

        It didn't make sense.

        Aiko changed into a pair of soft pajamas before crawling into bed and sinking deeply under her covers. Her pillow cradled her head and whispered promises of a comfortable sleep. Her eyes closed and thoughts of her family's cruelty filled her mind.

        Did it matter their reasoning?

        Nothing they did to her would ever make sense anyway.


	2. Dissent

        “Come now, Aiko. Your family wants you to come home; they miss you,” One ninja spoke, a smug grin on his unkempt face. Nine other ninja circling the girl and her companion—an infamous Uchiha survivor of a horrendous massacre—laughed darkly at the statement. Aiko recognized them as members of her family. Lotus-like Okumura symbol emblazoned on shoulders of shirts or backs of their vests. Their postures radiated confidence as they stood menacingly around Aiko and Sasuke. Confidence that they could bring this little girl back. It didn't matter that years had passed since she had run away, they planned to complete the job. They wouldn't return back to Karasu unless it was with good news. And looking into all of their eyes, the red head could tell that they all understood the gravity of their situation.

        None of them could return home without her.

        “I'm sure they miss beating me,” Aiko retorted, tone cold and detached.

        “Don't be like that,” Another ninja spoke, stepping forward. From his casual demeanor and the way the rest of the group looked to him, it appeared that he was the leader. “They promise it won't happen again. It was only to help you, that's all it ever was. Just lessons to help make you stronger.”

        Visibly, Aiko saw Sasuke grit his teeth in her peripheral. This man was saying practically the same thing that Itachi had once said to his younger brother. That massacring the whole Uchiha clan had been a test of strength, that he had done it simply because he could. Of course, they both knew now that the truth was far more complex, as Itachi had explained it to them both.

Before Sasuke had killed him.

        That was months ago, but the loss of his brother—who Sasuke had loved dearly even at the very end—was still fresh in his mind. Revenge had consumed him. He thought he would feel better after taking his brother down, making him answer for his crimes. But, instead... Sasuke felt hollow. In part from losing someone he had been close to, but also because now he felt he had no goal to strive for. There had always been the burning of his desire for revenge. Now, there was nothing. Sasuke felt as though he had to relearn who he was. As if he had veered from the path he was meant to be on and now he had lost his way. Yet so much time had passed, he wasn't sure there even was a part of him that knew how to live a normal life anymore.

        “Lessons?” Aiko sneered, narrowing her eyes at the ninja before her, “No, the only lesson we're going to talk about today is the one I teach my father when I send him your corpses to deter him from coming after me any longer. And if he doesn't learn from that, then I'll get a little more creative.” She was a bit taken aback by the level of conviction she heard and felt in her own voice. For once, she felt assured of herself.

        The leader frowned deeply. He was already irritated that Aiko had given him the slip some time back. “You think you're so clever?” He spread his arms out wide, “We were able to ambush you! What does that say about your intelligence?! I think you're giving yourself too much credit,  _little_  Aiko.”

        The red head laughed, amused. “I finally remember who you are! I recall the embarrassment you caused yourself and my aunt when you slipped up at a family gathering. Atsushi, right? It's not every day someone accidentally says too much and unmasks a intelligence network, a secret of my aunt's that was generations old. I heard you caused her to fall out of favor with the family as result and she was disbanded from her position as an information broker. I'm surprised my father hired  _you_  for this job, of all the people at his disposal. Karasu might hate me the most, but he has a serious intolerance for idiots. Shouldn't you be dead?” She shook her head, as if amazed. “And you think you've cornered me? I've been running from my family for over five years without getting caught. You think, after all this time, that I would slip up like this on accident? No, you're a fool. I allowed this to happen because I'm tired of running.” Aiko laughed again, unstrapping her weapon—a giant fan—from her back. She propped it vertically into the ground, unopened, and leaned against it.

        Atsushi growled, “You bitch!” He charged at her, kunai in hand.

        His movements were easy to deflect. He spun backward, propelling his leg in a horizontal arc, heel of his boot aimed at Aiko's ribs. She quickly jumped out of the way, opening and raising her fan as she did so then slamming it down. A forceful gust of wind burst forth, knocking Atsushi and a few others off balance; sending them tumbling to the ground.

        “You call that an attack?!” It was nother who was joining the fray. He stood a bit away at Aiko's side. His hands were going through the familiar Horse, Serpent, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger hand signs in quick succession. Aiko recognized the movement, having seen Sasuke practice the jutsu hundreds of times when they were kids.

_Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!_

        Stolen, from the Uchihas.

        Silently, Aiko thanked the gods that they were on a stony, barren mountaintop. Had she and Sasuke been ambushed weeks ago when they had been camping within a forest, there was no doubt the fire would have spread and consumed all in its path.

        The flames burst forth from the ninja, spinning into a massive orb that grew and stretched towards the red head, reaching for her with golden arms. The heat was immense, uncomfortably so. Aiko had little time to react, knowing that it would be just a moment more before she would be consumed in that ball of fire.

        Time slowed, moving immeasurably. Aiko felt the heat kiss her skin, singing her hairs, as she lifted her fan once more, pointing it at an angle high behind her. There was no time to blink as she swung it down with all her strength, careful to stop the motion before she crashed the fan into the ground and rendered it useless.

        For an infinitesimally small moment, all was still. No one took a breath or moved a muscle. Aiko could have sworn that within that moment, she heard the stillness speak to her. The soft, practically inaudible whispers of the earth caressing her ears. Then, those whispers morphed into screams, as, with a rumble and a crash, the air was shoved forward, barreling towards her attacker. The gale rolled violently, becoming sharp in a sense, as it tore into the stone under their feet, carving its way forward. It was a vicious hurricane, a roaring, turning beast, and it decimated the fireball the ninja was creating, consuming it within itself and becoming more deadly. As the twisting gale reached the man, the flames consumed him and three other ninja standing nearby.

        Their screams were deafening. As the fire charred their skin, the hurricane tore through their flesh and sent the four ninja cascading down to the stone ground in a rain of red ribbons. A slaughter.

        Aiko had mastered this jutsu over the last two years, practicing it constantly until she had complete control over it. She called it:

_Wind Style: Tempest_

        The remaining seven ninja looked about the horrific scene in utter shock. Their confidence drained, paling their faces, and their plan of attack and capture was momentarily forgotten. Slowly, one by one, their distraught faces turned back towards the red head. Before them, they no longer saw little Aiko Okumura, they saw a fearless, cunning woman. What was once supposed to be an easy job—bring a child back home—was now copiously more complicated.

        Aiko raised her fan once more, resting it on her shoulder, the top ends falling together until it compressed shut. She loosely rested her wrist on the end that jutted out in front of her, holding it steady so it didn't fall and looked about the familiar faces around her. Even Sasuke, who had seen and watched her practice the Tempest, had never seen her use it on people. He found himself a little bewildered, but also amazed. He was proud of her. Proud that she had crawled out of her shell, proud that she was standing up for herself. She needed this. Just as he had needed revenge. And even though he was still unsure if the end result was worth it, he knew he had needed it. Killing Itachi opened his eyes. If Sasuke had given up on revenge early, it would have been a nagging voice in the back of his head forever. Finding out the truth was hard, but he had needed to hear it. It was better than not knowing. It meant he could forgive his older brother. It meant that his family wasn't as broken as he had thought it was.

        “Jun...” Atsushi breathed. Aiko recognized the name and realized the man she had just killed was this leader's brother. From what little she knew, they were inseparable. She imagined that they begged to be on this mission together just so they wouldn't have to be apart. She couldn't back down, but her heart ached at the sight of Atsushi's tears.

        Tears replaced by rage as he looked back towards the Okumura girl—the last to do so.

        “You were supposed to be an easy job,” He said softly, quiet fury dripping from his words, “No one was supposed to die.” He began stepping forward, slow steps closing the gap that yawned between them from Atsushi having moved out of the way for Jun's attack. “We were just supposed to bring you back!” His voice was growing louder, his emotions in turmoil, “Then your parents could do whatever the hell they wanted with you! But no one was supposed to fucking die!” He was screaming now, charging at Aiko once more. This time, he pulled a windmill shuriken off his back. At first, it looked like a ring with four scimitar blades attached at one end. Then he spun the weapon with an ease that came from excessive use and practice. The four blades rotated about the ring until they locked in different positions, perfect space between each of them. It now looked like an 'X' with a hole in the middle.

        Atsushi swung wide when he had crossed enough space. As Aiko dodged, he quickly brought the large windmill shuriken up from behind him, rotating his shoulder at an awkward angle, then slammed it downwards with force. The blades cracked the rock, but the red head had moved out of the way, standing to his side now. Atsushi huffed, prying the weapon free from the stone, “I'll kill you!” He screamed, the loss of his brother all consuming, like drowning in an ocean. He swung again, a weighted horizontal arc, “I don't care what happens! I'll send your head back in a box if I have to! Bringing you back alive is meaningless! We all know everything would be better if you were dead! It's not like anyone in the clan cares about you! You're a blight!  _YOU DESERVE TO DIE!_ ” He was frenzied, his attacks becoming less and less precise and more desperate and random. Aiko was having a hard time keeping pace with how quickly he attacked, missed, then attacked again. His reflexes were quick, there was murder in his eyes, and she saw the shattered pieces of his heart chip away at his sanity.

        The tip of one of the shuriken blades caught the edge of Aiko's short yukata as she sidestepped, tearing through it and the skin of her stomach underneath. A long line of blood formed at the shallow wound and soaked through the fabric of her ninja garment. Aiko frowned, irritated, and pressed her hand more firmly on the end of her fan, tilting it off her shoulder and causing it to fall forward. She dropped the top of her weapon into her other hand, holding the fan horizontally in front of her. Then, with her right hand, she gripped the end and tugged it up and to the side. The fan opened and she held it vertically—each end pointing at either the sky or the ground—then swung it, one handed, aslant. The gust that erupted sent Atsushi flying backward, landing on his backside and part of his windmill shuriken digging into his thigh. He didn't cry out but Aiko saw him grit his teeth, wincing slightly as he glared at her.

        “What are you idiots waiting for?! Get her! Quit standing around gawking!” Atsushi yelled at his men.

        The stupor of the group wore off and the remaining Okumura ninja charged at Aiko and Sasuke. It wasn't a competition, the girl and Uchiha were far stronger than any of the others, even if they combined their strength. No matter the element, the jutsu, or the level of hand to hand skill used, it didn't matter. Sasuke had trained under Orochimaru—a legendary Sannin—and Aiko, in turn, had been able to learn quite a bit from her companion. These ninja didn't stand a chance.

        When the opposing were finally dispatched, the duo stood still, standing next to each other, looking down at the pitiful sight of Atsushi who still sat on the ground.

        “This isn't over!” He snapped, defiant even in defeat. “You might have won this fight but I'll make sure you're hunted into the ground! You won't trick us twice with your innocent girl act! I'll make sure to tell your father everything!”

        Sasuke humphed, his eyes cold and distant—Aiko, on the other hand, felt her gut twisting. She knew she had to do this, but it still hurt. She didn't hate her family, but she knew they would never accept her. For whatever reasons they had

        “Atsushi...” the red head began, her blue eyes sorrowful, “...what makes you think I'm letting you go? I already told you: I'm sending your corpses back to my father. You won't be telling him anything.”

        Atsushi's angry expression faded, becoming solemn with his realization. He turned his head to look back at the widespread crimson puddle that was creeping down the slope of the mountain to his left. He wished he could see his brother one last time, even it was just his cold, dead body. Instead, he had to settle for the little red pool and the tiny ribbons of flesh that sat within it. A mixture of his older brother and the other ninja that had been killed with him.

        Then all was dark for Atsushi as Aiko swung a sideways fan horizontally at his head, severing it from his shoulders.


	3. The Past

**TEN YEARS AGO**

 

        “Aiko, do you understand?”

        The young Okumura girl, barely seven years old, stared up at her mother, Nanami. A beautiful woman with waves of raven hair mixed with grey and golden eyes stared expectantly down at her. Her young mind revered the older woman—and was also terrified of her. “I... understand,” Aiko said slowly.

        Her mother looked away, “Good. From here on, your life won't be so easy. You now have an image to protect. The position of High Priestess is an honor, and you will be expected to act  _honorably_  for the family.” It wasn't said, but Nanami's tone implied that she meant for Aiko to obey the clan's whims. She would be in a position of the upmost power and they planned to control her in it. A puppet to their wishes. They had assets and connections to maintain and keep hold of—Aiko's friendly nature, despite all they did to try and break her of it, threatened those plans.

        The young girl's mind was not developed enough to pick up on the subtle hint.

        “C-can I go play with my friends now, mommy?” The young red head asked shyly, big blue eyes shimmering with hope.

        “Do you mean that horrible nine-tailed monster?” Nanami asked the question but she already knew the answer.

        “Y-yes... but mommy, I promise he's not a bad guy! He's really nice!”

        “Be silent!”  _Slap!_

        Aiko stood, stunned, as her cheek began to sing a familiar sting of pain. Her eyes welled with tears and she began to cry. Already, the side of her face burned red and was sensitive to the touch. She choked back her sobbing, knowing that it always just made her mother more angry with her, but she couldn't hold it all in. Aiko's body shook and her bottom lip quivered, an occasional gasp and sharp intake of breath wracked her little form.

        Nanami 'tsk'ed and turned her back to her daughter, “You clearly don't understand, Aiko. That boy threatens this family's reputation. He will threaten  _your_ reputation as High Priestess. We won't be seen interacting with him. He offers us nothing. You will stop seeing that monster indefinitely. Have I made myself clear?”

        Aiko sobbed out a yes as her mother walked away, but her heart told her she would never be able to obey such an order. Maybe she could visit Naruto in secret? He was so nice to her, always looking out for her. She couldn't give him up. She wouldn't.

        “C-can I still p-play with Sasuke?” Aiko asked nervously at Nanami's retreating form. She didn't want to test her mother but she wanted to know what she needed to learn to hide from her family.

        The older woman stopped her departure but never turned around. “A much better choice,” she said, “but I warn you, Aiko, if I find out you're lying and spending time with that blond trash, you will never leave these grounds again.”

        Aiko shrank, her voice growing very small, “...yes, mommy...”

        “Now get out of my sight, I don't want you in my presence.”

        The young girl didn't need any further persuasion as she ran off in the opposite direction, off to look for the little Uchiha boy she was so close with. For now, she wouldn't see Naruto. She didn't want to test those boundaries quite yet, still too afraid, the fear too fresh.

        Once outside, the young girl made her way towards the Okumura compound exit, avoiding everyone that might pass her by. Nanami might have given her the go-ahead to leave but Aiko was sure her other family members would harass her and keep her prisoner.

        There were advantages to everyone hating the young girl. Mainly, no one looked for her or cared if she was around. Only when it was convenient for them, otherwise they didn't ever want to see her. It made sneaking around much easier. Aiko always had ample opportunity to escape to spend time with her friends.

        It also made her feel very lonely...

 

        Once she arrived, Aiko was welcomed warmly into the Uchiha home. She padded out into a backyard where she found Sasuke trying to get Itachi's attention. Her young friend looked excited, saying something about wanting to show his older brother what he had done. Itachi didn't seem to entirely notice the little Uchiha was there. His eyes were distant and he stared hard at the ground as he pondered his hidden thoughts. Eventually, he turned to his little brother and tapped him on the forehead.

        “Not today, Sasuke,” Itachi said, his voice distant. “I have some things to take care of.” He stood and turned away form his brother, noticing Aiko for the first time standing a little bit away. “But it seems you have a visitor. I'm sure little Aiko would love to play with you.” Then he was gone.

        “Aiko!” Sasuke exclaimed, excited. “You came today!”

        “Of course!” The young red head grinned.

        Sasuke got up and walked closer to hug his friend but once he was close, his happy expression fell. “Your cheek...” he said lightly. He lifted a small hand to touch it but Aiko recoiled away at the pain that stung at her from the sensitive skin. “You're hurt.”

        “It's okay, it doesn't hurt as bad as last time,” Aiko said, feigning a carefree-ness.

        “Did—”

        “What were you trying to show Itachi?” Aiko interrupted, wanting to change the subject.

        Little Sasuke pouted, he wanted to help his friend but just didn't know how. “Itachi showed me a cool trick a while ago,” he eventually said, giving in, “he set up all these targets for kunai practice and he showed me how to hit them all in one go! I wanted him to come see that I can do it now too!”

        “Well, you can show me!”

        A big smile spread across Sasuke's face and he nodded in agreement. Then he took Aiko's hand and pulled her off to his and Itachi's spot, calling to his mom that they would be back later.


	4. Vulnerable

    “Would it be premature to think I've made it out of the fire?” Aiko asked as she sunk low into the waters of one of the hot springs that were popular around this particular village. It was just her and Sasuke at this twilight hour, everyone else asleep for the night. Both of them were thankful for the quiet moment they had to themselves.

    Sasuke, at first, had protested; they had rented a room at an inn in the small village but he didn't want to go to the springs and be surrounded by a bunch of people. He changed his mind as he was unwilling to let Aiko go alone. 

    So many years he hadn't been there to protect her, hadn't been able to shield her from anything—he wanted to make up for that. It wasn’t that he knew she wasn’t strong—she had already proven how fearsome she could be, even long ago—no, he just wanted to make sure that she knew she had his support now. He would be there for her from now on. No longer was his mind clouded by revenge. Now, he had sight for what he truly found important.

    In the end, however, Aiko compromised by saying they could go at night, she didn't want to be surrounded by people either and she knew the springs were always open.

    It turned out to be an excellent idea.

    “You are the next in line for succession, and your family has always been painfully traditional. I think we have a moment to breath, but I don't think you've gotten away quite yet.” Sasuke admitted, albeit hesitantly. They might have stopped to rest and forget their troubles for a moment, but the fight with then ten ninja was only a couple weeks ago. And the Okumura Clan was not one to tolerate failure.

    Even if that meant the sacrifice of the countless at their disposal.

    The severed head would give her family pause, it wouldn't dissuade them.

    “You're probably right...”

    Sasuke stared across the water to where Aiko sat, a respectable distance between the two so neither would be uncomfortable or embarrassed. He admired her, taking in the sight of her silky, red hair—like a cascade of soft fire—and the ever blue of her eyes that stared off towards the night sky. She was beautiful.

    The unprovoked thought startled him. In some ways, he always knew of his feelings for his dear friend, but he surely had never admitted to them or toyed with their possibility. 

    Maybe it was the heat and the rising steam, but Sasuke felt intoxicated by his proximity to her. Both of them naked, sharing a large bath in a hot spring. It was never anything they had done before, but it didn’t feel weird or awkward. Both were entirely comfortable, as if the whole thing was something normal they did all the time. 

    “I'm proud of you,” Sasuke finally said, though his gaze had shifted away to look off into the night as heat rose to his cheeks.

    Aiko turned to face him, her expression quizzical. “Proud of me? For what?” She didn’t notice his blushing—the water was warm and the steam that rose blanketed them in a haze, it would be completely common for him to be flushed.

    “For leaving,” Sasuke answered. “All those years you told me of the horrendous things that family of yours did to you, and I wanted to help so desperately...”

    “Sasuke...”

    “Sometimes the guilt threatens to overtake me, that I let myself play along with you when you would tell me you were fine or just not to worry. And... when I look back, I’m sorry I made everything so much about me. About my problems. My anger...”

    “Itachi killed everyone you loved—“

    “He was forced—“

    “It was still his hands that bloodied themselves of your entire clan. I feel that if you had reacted any other way to that kind of trauma, there would be something seriously wrong with you.”

    Sasuke smiled sadly, turning to look back at his friend, “You were hurting just as much as I was—you still are. My troubles are over, I can move on, but you, Aiko... your family still haunts your every footstep, waiting for you to trip. With Itachi, it was just him that I hated. With you... it’s your entire clan.” He paused, watching as Aiko’s blue eyes fell away from his and she began fiddled with her thumbs under the opaque water. 

    “Sometimes,” he started after the silence had stretched, “I forget that when my family was alive, they were always there to love me. Even my father, as cold as he could be sometimes, did so in his own way. But you’ve never had that. I... don’t think you ever have. At least, I never remember you talking about your family with any sort of fondness.”

    Aiko’s body shuttered as she did her best to hold back tears that fell anyway. She raised a single hand to brush away the streaks they left behind on her face. “No...” she said quietly, “I can’t say I ever remember a time they ever treated me with any kindness.” Her brows furrowed as she thought back on past memories. “They’ve always hated me.”

    The two were quiet. Sasuke didn’t know what more to say nor did he have any words he thought might comfort her. Aiko simply stared at the water’s surface, distant, her mind wandering far off into the past. 

    It was strange, but she had never really thought about just how bad her treatment had been when she had been younger—even all the way up until she left Konoha. Somehow, until now, it hadn’t seemed quite as bad. Sure, she had lived a hellish life, but there were always bright spots. She had managed to continue to be friends with Naruto, even after her family had beaten and berated her for her compassion. She was able to train and learn valuable skills from renowned ninja. 

    She always had Sasuke.

    Aiko looked up at that thought and her blue eyes met with the Uchiha’s onyx ones as he sat across the pool from her. He looked concerned but it wasn’t one of pity. There was a warmth in that stare. He cared for her, more than anyone else ever had. Even more than Naruto ever had. 

    She smiled, “I...” then stopped. She didn’t know how to begin, how to turn her thoughts into words. 

    Sasuke said nothing. He wouldn’t push her. Rather, he sat silently—patiently—only letting his eyes show his curiosity for what Aiko wanted to say.

    The red head opened her mouth several times, closing it before any words came out each time. The thought was there, on the tip of her tongue. She knew what she wanted to tell him but her mind wavered in its lack of courage. She was afraid her words wouldn’t be well received. 

    Silence yawned between them and off in the distance, there was the faint chirping of crickets that danced with the late night breeze. Aiko knew it would be wise for them to leave the spring soon, else they become dizzy and light headed, but she wanted to get this out first. She needed to. 

    Not finding her voice, however, Aiko resorted to a new plan. Slowly, careful to keep her body covered in the water, she made her way over to where Sasuke sat and settled beside him. He turned his head to look at her, question in his gaze. Aiko said nothing, as she found she couldn’t, and instead wrapped her arms around his neck as she pulled him close—hugging his bare ness to her chest. 

    They pressed against each other, Aiko resting her chin on Sasuke’s shoulder. After a brief, startled moment, he wrapped his own arms around her. They stayed like that for a long while until Aiko pressed her face into the Uchiha’s neck. 

    “Thank you, Sasuke,” she finally managed to say, “for everything. I mean it, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

    He pulled away slightly to look at her face. She looked so vulnerable then, and he realized, with her defenses crumbling away, just how terrified Aiko actually was. Not towards him but because of everything that was happening. Her family wanted her dead; she had just killed ten ninja she had practically known her whole life; she had delivered Atsushi’s head to her father; and now, she was opening herself up completely, laying out all her feelings even at the risk of getting hurt. 

    “You’ll never have to find out,” Sasuke said softly, “I’ll always be here for you. We’ll get through this together.”


	5. Taste of Freedom

**TEN YEARS AGO**

 

    Young Aiko sat in a cushioned chair, swinging her feet as she waited for her mother, Nanami, to finish speaking with the Hokage. She didn’t know what it was about, or why she had to come along, but they sure were taking a long time. And Aiko was becoming increasingly bored. Though, she knew not to show it outwardly—or any emotion, really. Especially when her family was around her. 

    After several more minutes had passed, The Hokage’s attendant opened the doors leading into the leader’s office and poked their head out, searching the corridor with their eyes until they landed on the little red headed girl sitting across the hall. They then stepped out and shut the doors behind them, moving over to where Aiko sat.

    Their smile was warm and genuine as they spoke softly, “Hey, Aiko. It’s going to be a while more, it seems, you have permission to leave if you want. You could go play with your friends until your mother is finished speaking with the Hokage?”

    Inwardly, Aiko was excited about not having to sit around anymore, but her body hesitated. This attendant was telling her it was okay to go, but was it okay with her mother? 

    Always a dilemma when it came to choices like these. It never mattered if she had someone else’s permission, she needed her _family’s permission_. 

    The attendant noticed Aiko’s hesitation and how she began twiddling her thumbs with uncertainty and their smile became sorrowful. Even if the little red head couldn’t see it for herself, everyone around her could tell that something was amiss. She should be playful and happy, not cautious of shadows that might be hiding in corners, unseen ears always listening to report her ‘disobedience’. But there was nothing anyone could do. The Okumura were very careful not to leave incriminating marks on Aiko’s body, thus there was no hard proof of any abuse. Only rumors, whispers of the truth, simple theories. Nothing anyone could act upon. No hard evidence.

    Everyone was as helpless to do anything as Aiko was. 

    “I spoke with your mother about it,” the attendant quickly reassured the little girl, “she agreed that it would be okay.” It was the truth, but Aiko still moved slowly, scanning the ends of the hallways with her eyes as if this was some sort of test. Ever so carefully, she slid off of her plush seat and stood up. Her shoulders slumped with bad posture and she pressed her feet too closely together. The Hokage’s attendant felt a sharp stab at their heart at the sight but forced themselves to remain cheerful, hoping that it would rub off on the little girl and break her out of her shell a bit.

    It worked. Aiko beamed a small smile their way, “Okay,” she spoke softly, “when should I come back?”

    “You could just return home in a few hours or so and your mother should be back then?” The attendant replied, but Aiko was already shaking her head. 

    “No, my mother will want me to be here when she’s done...”

    “Then I will personally come get you before they finish wrapping up, how’s that sound?”

    “That’s fine! I’ll probably be with Sasuke when you come looking for me.”

    “The Uchiha boy?” The attendant smiled.

    “Mhm!”

    “Okay then, off you go!”

    Aiko happy left, a small spring in her step—this was a victory for her. For the first time in weeks, she wasn’t on a leash, free to do as she willed. And even though it was just a tiny piece of freedom, she was glad to take it. 

 

* * *

 

    The Uchiha Compound was as it always was, but there seemed to be a tension in the air when Aiko passed certain people. A few were even arguing in hushed voices behind a building, Aiko couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they glared coldly at her when they saw her staring and hurriedly moved out of sight—the message in their eyes was clear, she had poked her nose in something that wasn’t her business. Absently, she wondered what they could be so upset about, but the thought was fleeting and she was immediately back on her way to find her friend. 

    Sasuke stood in the yard behind his house, where she usually found him when he was at home. There, he bounced a ball by himself, his face almost sad looking. When Aiko called out to him, however—after having been invited in by Sasuke’s mother—his face lifted into a bright, wide smile. 

    “Aiko!” The little Uchiha ran over to the red head and grabbed her hand. “Come play with me!” He pulled her out into the grass and the two then began passing the ball between them. One would throw it and then the other would kick it back, then they would kick it between them until someone messed up and had to throw it again. It was a simple game, but it was fun for them.

    “Why did you look so sad before you saw me?” Aiko asked as they played.

    Sasuke pouted, “Itachi never has time for me anymore. He always says he’ll spend time with me tomorrow or another day, but then he never does! He’s always busy, and he never tells me why! He just taps me on the head and then leaves.” The little Uchiha tubbed at his forehead then as if just thinking about it made it hurt. 

    “Maybe it’s something important?”

    “But he’s always made time for me! I don’t know what could be different...”

    “I’m sure it’s nothing and he’ll be back to play with you again in no time!” Aiko smiled reassuringly and Sasuke’s chose to believe her. 

    Timed passed too quickly for Aiko’s comfort. She wished she didn’t have to go back to her mother, she didn’t want to go home. No, she didn’t want to go back to the Okumura compound—it wasn’t a home for her. It never had been, for as long as she could remember. 

    Eventually, as the day grew late and still the attendant didn’t come for her, Aiko had to leave Sasuke so that he and his family could have their own time together. Also, she didn’t want to burden them by staying longer than she was welcome. As result, the young red head decided she would just wait for the Hokage’s attendant to come get her outside the Uchiha compound. That way, she would still technically be where she said she would. Aiko didn’t want to make herself hard to find, that would only anger her mother.

    But most important, she wanted to stay away from her house and her family for as long as she could, so this was as good a spot to be as any.

    Being careful to wait a good bit away from the Uchiha Compound entrance, so no one would see her by herself and start worrying, Aiko sat under a large tree and began brushing up on some easy ninja techniques that she was learning. Not any sort of fighting skills, rather medical ones. 

    She was currently learning how to heal large wounds, both internally and externally—though, out here by herself, she didn’t exactly have a way to practice that. So as an alternative, Aiko would scratch her foot with a fallen stick she found nearby just enough that it would barely draw blood. It didn’t hurt, and she made sure to peel back the loose bark so that the twig was clean and wouldn’t get anything into a fresh wound. Then, she would set the stick aside and heal the scratch, leaving her foot once again perfectly plain and without any blemishes. 

    In fact, Aiko was so enraptured by what she was doing, that she didn’t see the little blond boy as he approached her. 

    “What are you doing?” A familiar voice called out. 

    Aiko looked up and met the overly cheerful grin of her favorite Uzumaki. “Naruto!” She cried, but then drew quiet as she knew she shouldn’t be so loud. Especially when it came to the restrictions she knew she was supposed to be following when it came towards spending time with this _‘cursed child’_. As her mother so often loved to say of him.

    “I’m practicing my medical jutsu while I wait for the Hokage’s assistant person to come get me.” She added as Naruto moved to sit next to her.

    “Why do you have to wait?” The blond boy asked as he leaned back on his hands.

    “The Hokage’s talking with my mom. I don’t know what about but it seemed pretty serious. I was told it was going to take a long time so they said I could leave to go play while I waited.”

    His face scrunched up, “And you chose to just sit under a tree the whole time? Isn't that basically the same thing as waiting back at the Hokage building?”

    Aiko laughed, “No, silly. I only just started doing this. I’ve spent pretty much all day with Sasuke but I had to leave a little while ago.”

    “Why not just go back home then?” It was an innocent question, and Aiko knew he was asking only because she always kept the truth of her abuse away from him. She didn’t need anyone else to worry over her. Still, his words stung her a bit, though she did her best not to show it.

    It must have worked because Naruto didn’t seem to notice. 

    “Eh, I don’t really want to go home yet. I’m always stuck there, you know? My parents have me studying medical jutsu all the time, non-stop. I just wanted a day to relax.”

    “You sound like Shikamaru...”

    “Hey! I’m not that lazy! I work hard, I deserve a break!”

    “What are you, an adult with a full time job?” He said it as a jest, and laughed as he did so. Aiko laughed with him, tugging at small tufts of grass.

    “Aiko!” A stern voice called out. The young red head stiffened immediately and scrambled to her feet. “What is the meaning of this?!” It was Nanami, Aiko’s mother—the Hokage’s attendant stood at her side. “Have I not told you to never spend time with this boy?! And here you are, deliberately disobeying me?!”

    Aiko felt her stomach turn violently, “I-I...”

    “I was told you would only be with Sasuke today. Do you think me a fool? Do you think it’s funny to lie to me and go off cavorting with this demon-child?!”

    Naruto’s eyes fell away as he pushed himself up to his feet and began backing away. 

    The attendant stood silently, their posture shocked. They didn’t know how to respond and their voice caught in their throat, preventing them from speaking. Everything was happening so fast.

    “You!” Nanami pointed a manicured figure at the Uzumaki boy, “Don’t you ever come near my daughter again! Do you hear me?”

    Naruto said nothing as he walked away, deflated. His head hung low and his shoulders slumped and he didn’t look back. Aiko wanted nothing more than to run after him and apologize. She wanted to wrap him in a hug and let him know she didn’t hate him the way everyone else did. 

    “Aiko,” Nanami returned her attention to her daughter. The young girl looked up, hesitantly, and met her mother’s golden gaze with her own blue one. Nanami’s voice appeared to soften, but it was just a farce because of the extra company that was around. It wouldn’t do, especially after the long talk she just had with the Hokage, to let anyone see her screaming at her daughter. “I don’t tell you to stay away from that boy because I’m cruel. I tell it to you because he’s dangerous. He has the nine-tailed Bijuu sealed inside him. Do you remember the stories of how that creature wreaked havoc on the village? Who’s to say it won’t overtake him and he becomes violent?”

    “But Naruto would never hurt anyone!”

    Nanami’s voice was harsh, “I am not having this discussion again. I don’t want you to see that boy ever again. Have I made myself clear?” Her tone implied a question but Aiko knew better. There would be no persuading her mother. Not that this discussion meant anything. The whole of it was simply a play. 

     _‘Look here at how I am simply a mother caring for her daughter’s well being.’_

    “I have to say that I agree,” The Hokage’s attendant added, finally finding their voice. It seemed they believed the mask Nanami was wearing. “That Uzumaki is nothing but bad luck to Konohagakure.”

    Nanami nodded, satisfied, but Aiko had to look away and bite her tongue. She wanted to scream at them. They were wrong! Naruto wasn’t a monster! But this was a battle she couldn’t win. Particularly when no one was on her side.

    “Well,” the attendant went on after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, “since I’ve reunited you two, I shall take my leave.” They then bowed respectfully, “Have a lovely evening!” Then they were gone.

    Aiko shuttered, she was left completely alone with her mother. 

    “Come,” the older woman said, cold and uncaring. Aiko feared what the night had in store for her. 

    As they walked, the young Okumura dared to speak, “U-um... The Hokage’s assistant said they were going to get me before you were finished... Why did you come with them?”

    Nanami snorted, mocking the idiocy she found in her daughter’s question, “I knew you would be doing something stupid behind my back. Though,” she turned to look over her shoulder at the younger girl as followed along at a slight distance, “I did not expect it to be so severe a transgression.” Aiko shrank at the venom in her mother’s words. “When we get home, your father will deal with you.” Then she turned back to look ahead of her, complete disinterest for the fear that was consuming Aiko behind her.

    “Please...” Aiko whimpered, “Please, no... We don’t have to tell him...”

    “This family does not tolerate disobedience. You are not above the repercussions.”

    “I’ll never do it again, I promise!”

    Nanami’s voice dripped with a black hatred, “Your word is nothing, my dear child, you’ve shown me as much. There is no better, or quicker way to show you your error than by punishment. Next time, you might actually think your actions through.”

    Nanami said no more, she was done speaking. She would simply leave the gravity of her words to sink onto Aiko as they stalked back to the Okumura Compound under the rosy haze of a dying sunset.

    Aiko imagined that sunset as the smearing of her blood.


	6. Decisions

    Karasu sat behind a frightfully sharp and painfully square, dark wood escritoire as he eyed the irritation that sat atop it. He leaned back in his chair, wrinkling his favorite short, grey kimono with its matching pants. He rested an elbow against the leather seat’s arm and pressed his index finger into his temple as the rest of his hand shrouded his mouth. To perhaps a casual onlooker, he was merely pondering his own thoughts—which perhaps was a small truth—but, to anyone who knew him, his posture and dead stare reflected his fury. 

    Nanami entered the room then, without ceremony. She was Karasu’s wife, after all. She didn’t need to announce herself. “Have you come to a decision yet?” Her voice was soft and feminine, and she stood with practiced poise. She was the perfect embodiment of absolute elegance.

    As anyone who cared about outward appearances would be.

    The raven haired man remained quiet a moment more, the gears in his mind turning. His chrome eyes threatened to bore holes into the object that sat on his desk: Aiko’s blatant insult.

    It had come as a shock when, one morning, a servant had brought a bloody sack to Karasu, insisting that it he needed to see it. The blood wasn’t what shocked him, but rather the servant’s disregard for proper protocol when it came to these matters. Karasu was no greenhorn when it came to threats and dismembered bodies. It was, after all, a rather common occurrence in in his line of work. He was, however, unused to provocations from his own daughter. 

    Receiving Atsushi’s dismembered head in such an unceremonious way from someone of his own bloodline—his direct descendent—was perhaps one of the most ultimate affronts he could be offered. 

    Tearing his silver gaze away from the blight that bled onto the wood, he met the rather calm stare of his wife’s own golden eyes. “Perhaps it is time to involve the Hokage?”

    Nanami’s face twisted with her disapproval, “You want to bring in outside help? Over a family matter?”

    Karasu was unfazed by her words, “Aiko seems to care about what these people think of her. She’s garnered their sympathy and has them all believing her sob story in one way or another. If they only knew the horrible child that she is, it would break that bond that she has formed.” He watched as his wife began to comprehend what he was saying, “What I propose is that we take this ‘offering’ our daughter has sent us to the Hokage and relay her precious message that she plans to kill off the rest of our family. Let Konoha deal with our little runaway as if she is a threat. They can mark her as one of their deadly ‘S-Class Criminals’ and send their own after her.”

    Nanami smiled darkly and folded her hands in front of her, “It could use a little embellishment, but I rather like this idea.”

    “I knew you would.” Then he waived a hand, “Have one of the boys fetch your mother. She has a mind for the details of these things and she will be able to carry out the task best.”

    Nanami nodded, then stalked out of the room, determination in her step. Everything felt as though it were falling back into place. 

    In his wife’s absence, Karasu began turning over several other ideas in his head. While this current plan would deal with Aiko in the immediate, he needed to go over long term solutions. 

    It was more a nuisance than anything that Karasu had let his daughter become this disobedient, but what’s done is done and he knew now, with absolute certainty, that there was no way Aiko would ever be allowed to become High Priestess. He would make sure of it. The small problem was figuring out—if Konoha failed to capture or kill Aiko on their own—how the Okumura might dispose of her themselves. Atsushi’s head and the nine other dead ninja were proof that she had learned some new tricks and knew how to defend herself well. So their next step would need to be considered carefully.

    Karasu sighed heavily, he had waited too long to do this. He had let Aiko get too much out of hand. It seemed, that none of the family’s lessons had been any help in shaping her in their image.

    Karasu’s stood then, picking up the bloody sack and walking it over to a side table that had an empty plate on it from his morning breakfast. He plopped it down carelessly and then called for one of his servants, ordering them to clean the blood off his desk.

    He frowned at his own thoughts as he watched the servant work. What a waste his daughter had turned out to be. All the training, all the studying, and even her unparalleled gift with medical jutsu, all of it wasted. 

    Karasu hoped his next child might prove to be more useful.

    For he no longer had the tolerance for such disobedience and disloyalty.


	7. Unease

**TEN YEARS AGO**

 

    Aiko didn’t know how much time had passed since she had been shut off from the world, but it felt like forever. She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen her friends or wandered Konoha’s streets—which she was realizing, with mild horror, that she couldn’t quite remember the layout of anymore. 

    In truth, it had only been a month. But, when secluded into one’s own isolation, minutes often felt like hours, and hours could feel like days. 

    Aiko knelt in the Temple that sat towering on one side of the Okumura compound, the side furthest from the only entrance into this prison, like a giant, stone sentry. Locking her in here had become a favorite go-to of her parents. It got her away from everyone and also made it easier for her family to keep watch over her. And while mainly a punishment, it was also training. Leaving Aiko alone with her own thoughts promoted meditation, which, in turn, helped her maintain better control over her abilities. 

    Most medical jutsu focused on a wide range of healing the body as a whole, a process which could take days and could exhaust the healer. Although still important, Aiko was learning to fine tune that range. Even at only eight years old, she had the ability to narrow down her aid to specific points. This gave her the option to deal with more immediately threatening injuries, saving her chakra for what was truly pressing and worrying about superficial wounds later. 

    The meditation was the only bright side to the confinement.

    The dull hum of the blood rushing behind Aiko’s ears and the crackling of the candles made for poor company. The young red head wanted desperately to go outside. Though, she knew the door behind her was locked, and there were no windows in this inner sanctum. She was left with the dark, brooding thoughts of her own mind which only aided in pushing her further down into the seemingly pitless hole of depression she was finding herself in. 

    Never before did she think she could miss the sun so much, or the fresh air that carried on a soft breeze. She longed to hear the rustling of leaves from Konoha’s forests and ached for the touch of grass under her feet. 

    Aiko found herself crying. Why did her family hate her so much? Was kindness not something she should value? 

    Looking at other families, Aiko always saw the unhindered happiness on their faces. She would watch on as mothers encouraged their children to be nice and friendly and scolded them when they were mean or cruel. So she learned that this was what made a person good.

    Her family wasn’t like this. They encouraged deceit and an iron fist; tyranny and careful planning. There was no room for compassion, no room for kindness, even amongst each other. The only time Aiko had ever seen her family help one another or pretend to care was when they got something out of it. 

    Her parents, for instance: her father, Karasu, is a cold, detached man who values power and money above all else. He loves Nanami because she gives him these things and raises his pedestal higher. Aiko’s mother, Nanami, is materialistic and values deception and enforcement over those she deems lower than herself. Karasu gives her these things as his line of work borders on the illegal but also makes him very rich. So the two leech from each other, and in turn, form a bond that could, under certain light, be considered a hazardous form of love. 

    Despite all of these horrible traits of her family, Aiko never found herself falling into their darkness. Maybe it was because the people she looked up to in life were never this way—to her or others. Her teachers had always been benevolent, the friends she made in Konoha always compassionate. Although, she did notice that everyone did seem to draw the line towards their kindness when it came to Naruto, but they never outwardly tried to hurt him. Rather, they ignored him or whispered behind his back. Hardly the vileness that the Okumura stooped to. 

    Even in reflection of all of this, however, Aiko pined for her family’s affection. She wanted them to love her. They were the only family she had and she just wanted to feel accepted. 

    But she was meant to be a puppet. 

    They didn’t want to love her; they wanted to control her. The position of High Priestess was not one of power over the family, it was merely a badge that said _‘You’re good at something and we want to use your gift for ourselves!’_

    Being High Priestess just meant that Aiko was the most gifted medical ninja in the entire Okumura family. It was also an elite, inside political position. This meant that everyone vied for the title viciously. It was also a privilege reserved solely for the main house of the Okumura. Aiko, unluckily, was a member of this ‘honored bloodline’.

    Had she been born under anyone else in her family, she would have never had such attention _doted_ onto her. She would have been free to do as she willed and no one would have batted an eye. They might have talked about her behind her back, mocked her for not getting more involved with the family cruelty, but they wouldn’t have cared about any path she could have chosen for herself. This was the sole reason that Aiko’s family was so insistent on her _behaving properly—_ she was the next descendant in the main bloodline. She needed to keep up the Okumura image of perfection and coldness if she was going to be High Priestess.

    Bitterly, Aiko wished she had never been born. An eternity left in an endless darkness of Purgatory would be preferable to the miserable life she was leading. 

_‘Maybe one day, I’ll have the strength to end it,’_ she thought. A particularly dark mindset for an eight year old. 

    Eventually, Aiko found the noise of her own mind deafening. She could hear the voices of her family scolding her, hear the slice of the air as her mother’s hand came down to slap her again, and could even hear her own mental voice questioning why she refused to fall in line—it would make things so much easier to just do as she was told. Aiko shook them all away as she fell into her meditation once more. 

    The voices died off, one by one, until the room was quiet. The young red head focused on her breathing, taking in the familiar scent of lavender that was snaking itself around the room in the form of trailing smoke that rose from an incense. Her body relaxed itself and she felt at peace in the silence. 

    But something at the very back of her mind, there in a dark corner, gnawed at her. Aiko couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. _Very wrong_. Even here in the confines of the Temple, the air suddenly became stiff and electric. There was a taste of iron on the faint wind that managed to creep its way in from the outside—sneaking through gaps under doors or cracked windows. 

    Aiko opened her eyes to see the candles flickering. Their flames danced wildly as if they were fully exposed to the breeze and the incense was no longer a climbing pillar of smoke. The once entrancing plume was now just a wild, formless scent that billowed about, evaporating instantly as the incense burned a bright, glowing red. Almost as if someone were blowing on it to make it burn faster. The young red head felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle and a shiver ran up her spine. 

    Something was _very, very_ wrong.

    Even so, there was no way for Aiko to investigate. She was trapped in this Temple, the door locked behind her, and she knew of no opening that she could escape through in the inner sanctum. 

    Her worrisome thoughts were cut away as she heard the familiar rattle and scraping of wood as the exit behind her became open. 

    “You can come out now, Aiko,” the young girl’s mother called out. 

    Aiko stood and turned to face the raven-haired woman, a question at her lips. Her senses were alight with warning signs but it seemed she was the only one feeling them. That, or Nanami was just ignoring them. 

    Unlikely. 

    Aiko brushed off the thought and pushed forward. But when she reached her mother, she halted, even as the older woman had already turned away, allowing her access to come out. 

    “Is something going on?” Aiko dared to ask. She needed to know.

    Nanami stopped and turned back around to face the confused expression of her daughter, “What on earth do you think would be going on at this hour?” Of course it was impossible for Aiko to know what time it was, but Nanami didn’t seem to care. Had she looked out a window, the young girl would have seen that the moon was already high in the sky, and the sun had set a long time ago, leaving nothing but a seemingly endless expanse of dark blue to blanket everything below. 

    “It’s just...” Aiko didn’t know how to form the words. And, the more she thought about it, the more crazy it sounded. _She_ didn’t even know what it was she was trying to ask, and she was expecting Nanami to understand this sensory unease that she was experiencing. More than likely, even if the older woman was feeling the same thing, she was blocking it out. A lifetime spent with her father, Karasu, peace always threatened for one reason or another, no doubt made Nanami desensitized to such signs of alarm. A day of danger was just another day.

    Nanami misinterpreted Aiko’s stuttering and unease completely, however, “If you’re referring to why I am letting you out much sooner than I planned on, it’s because my mother requested it. She has an idea she believes will entice you to behave. Not that I should have to explain anything to you.”

    This only deepened Aiko’s confusion. Another of her family’s deviously cruel plans to make her fall in line was not what was troubling her. It wouldn’t make the air feel so foul or taste so metallic. No, this was something else. But Nanami was done speaking, already walking ahead of her daughter, and Aiko knew neither she nor anyone else in her family would care for her troubles. Especially when she didn’t even know what the source was. They would only laugh at her, tell her that she was being too jumpy. _‘Maybe all that time spent alone in the Temple has addled your mind?’_ they might say—and Aiko didn’t feel entirely sure that such a statement would be wrong. Loneliness and isolation were known to do strange things to one’s psyche. 

    Trudging after her mother, young Aiko surmised that she would need to uncover the source of the problem on her own. 

    She would keep this to herself until she had an opening to slip away into the night.


	8. Trepidatious

    The air was rank with the stench of decay. It wafted through open windows and gaps under doors like an unwelcome guest; sinking festering teeth into walls and cloth. Whole buildings were perforated down to their foundations and flies buzzed about erratically, consuming the flesh of the dead.

    Aiko stared on, just outside the village she and Sasuke had been staying at, horrified as she took in the view of the slaughter. The smell made her eyes water and her stomach wrench. To her side, heat was pressing into her face from a shed that was slowly being consumed by fire.

    Nothing was left.

    All of the villagers were strewn about the ground—both inside and outside their homes—in varying states of murder. Some had their throats slit while others had been gutted; several were even missing limbs. Inside their wounds, the flies had already laid eggs and maggots were squirming and feasting on their dead buffets. 

    Aiko vomited. 

    Sasuke stood at the red head’s side as she was haunched over, his face blanketed with disgust and bafflement and anger. Had Aiko been looking into his onyx eyes, she would have witnessed as the Uchiha relived the massacre of his family. His hands were shaking and sweat began beading on his forehead as he took an involuntary step backwards.

    Aiko’s ears rang with the sound of a piercing scream but soon realized it was her own. She choked on her own tears and fell to her knees in the puddle of her stomach’s contents. Her nails dug into the dirt as she gripped fistfuls of blood-soaked grass—and she wept. 

    Sasuke knelt beside her then, a gentle hand placed on her back. He said nothing as she wailed into the night from the horror until her voice began to crack. Her throat became sore and her chest ached.

    She didn’t save these poor people. 

    If she could just go back, if she had just _known_...

    “Hyah!” A shout erupted through the chaos, directly in front of the duo. Aiko looked up to see a man riding a horse, barreling towards her. Her face burned with fury at the sight of one of her family members. Her uncle, maybe? She couldn’t tell from the distance but she recognized the large, silver shrunken strapped to his back; an identifier of her father’s personal guard. 

    Aiko climbed to her feet, a bit shaky, as Sasuke offered his hand to steady her. She unstrapped her fan from her back and held it in front of her, waiting for her attacker to get closer before she killed him. 

    As the rider neared, she saw his wide, malicious grin as it stretched the very edges of his face. His eyes were sunken and his black hair was a matted mess on his head. He looked as though he hadn’t slept in days.

    “This is the end for you, Aiko!” The man shouted, almost close enough.

    The red head said nothing; merely swinging her fan upwards, aslant, as she let gravity open her weapon. Her arms shook from her intense emotions but she held the now open weapon with an iron grip. She wasn’t going to let this man get away. 

    The sound of her rushing blood filled her ears and all other noise seemed to die into the background. Her breathing was heavy and the air felt hot in her lungs. Aiko blinked once, began the motion of swinging her fan downwards—nothing else mattered. Her eyes saw red as she looked at the Okumura charging towards her; she wanted them dead.

    A piercing shriek reverberated through her then, coming from behind.

    Aiko hesitated, craning her neck to look over her shoulder, just in time for her blue eyes to reflect off of silver metal as the katana her father held sliced deeply into her throat. 

    She lost her grip first, her fan falling away from her and dropping to the soft ground with a dull _thud_. Instinctively, she brought both her hands up and clutched at the new wound. Desperately, and in vain, she tried to keep her blood from spewing out but it seeped through her fingers and stained her skin and clothes. 

    She fell to her knees, barely registering the flaring pain as she cracked her kneecap on a small, sharp rock. She fell to her side, skin turning grey as all her color bled away in her final moments. Faintly, she heard Sasuke yelling.

    He was shaking her, holding her close to his chest.

    But Aiko’s strength was fading and her arms flopped to the ground. She saw him crying. Behind Sasuke, she saw the fires of the town roar high into the sky, reaching golden arms for the stars. The heat felt unbearable and Aiko, with the last of her strength, turned her head to the side to see the grass was now alight, crawling its way towards them. 

    “Aiko!” Sasuke’s voice was so far away.

    She felt so tired.

    “Aiko!” 

    She just... needed to close her eyes for a moment...

 

* * *

 

    “AIKO!”

    Snapping her eyes open with a sudden jolt, Aiko found herself huddled in a corner, sweating, screaming, as Sasuke shook her awake. 

    She was dreaming.

    It had just been a nightmare. 

    Aiko’s scared, blue eyes looked up into concerned onyx ones of her companion. She looked around the room frantically, searching for the flames of her dreams or the decomposing bodies of the dead. There was nothing. Nothing but polished wood floors, soft cotton curtains, and two plush futon mattresses that served as their beds as she and Sasuke were sharing a room. Everything was normal. 

    Everyone was okay.

    Slowly, Aiko stood up on shaky legs and walked over to one of the small arm chairs that sat against the only window—which looked out at the village’s surrounding scenery. She sank deeply into the cushions and rested an elbow on the armrest as she cradled her face in her hand. Her body was trembling and she was quiet as she did her best to dispel the very real horror she had just experienced. 

    The dream felt so _real_. She could still feel the phantom heat and a tingling across her neck. Subconsciously, she rose her other hand to feel at her throat, but there was nothing but smooth skin. 

    Aiko looked up, leaning back in her seat and ran a hand through her tousled red hair. Her sweating had coated her body and she felt sticky as it dried. “I’m sorry...” she whispered, voice hoarse.

    Sasuke sat in the adjacent armchair, his expression still troubled. “Are you okay?” He asked.

    “I... yes...” Aiko said softly, taking a deep breath and sighing. 

    Sasuke leaned forwards, one elbow resting on his knee as he reached out with his other hand and tucked a wet, stray hair behind Aiko’s ear. “It was just a bad dream,” he reassured, not knowing how to help.

    “I know,” she replied slowly, “but it felt so lifelike; as if I was actually there. I... can still smell the dead bodies...” she trailed off, remembering, with a haunted look in her eyes as she pressed a finger to her lips and stared out the window. 

    Sasuke was quiet a moment, studying Aiko, “Do you want to talk about it?” He asked hesitantly.

    Aiko closed her eyes, bringing her mind back to reality as she did her best to recount what details were still fresh. Sasuke listened attentively, troubled frown deepening as she went through the events of her dream. 

    “I know it wasn’t real, but something just doesn’t feel right,” Aiko finished, sitting up straighter. “I don’t feel like the village is in danger, that’s not what this is, but... it’s like an uneasiness in the back of my mind. Like the one I felt all those years ago when Itachi...” she stopped herself, not wanting to tear open old wounds. “Back when my parents first started locking me in the Temple. I remember the smell of lavender, and an ache in my stomach. My mother didn’t even know what I was talking about that night when I tried asking her if something had happened—when she finally let me out.” Aiko felt her eyes sting with fresh tears. 

    “You think it’s something big like my family’s massacre?” Sasuke asked as he raised an eyebrow, skeptical.

    Aiko shook her head, “No, nothing like that. At least, I don’t think so? It’s just a feeling I have...”

    “Could it be you’re just stressed about your family? They are probably still looking for you, after all.”

    “Maybe,” Aiko said distantly. 

    But the trepidatious nagging didn’t go away. 

    Something just didn’t feel right.


	9. Outside Help

    “We wouldn’t come to you if it wasn’t dire,” Nanami said, one arm pressing into her chest as she clutched her elbow with her other hand. “Aiko’s just rebelling, she’s always hated the idea of succeeding the family, but this is he first time she’s started killing members of our clan...”

    Hitomi, Nanami’s mother, nodded, “That’s why we need your help, we don’t know how far she’ll go...”

    The Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, looked between the two women, one beautifully striking even after so many years and the other very old and withered with a full head of grey hair, “What is it, exactly, that you’re asking of me?” Kakashi asked carefully.

    Nanami sniffed, as if reigning in her sorrow, “We just want you to bring her back. We can’t send any of our own after her anymore—she already killed ten of our family and sent one of the heads back to my husband.”

    Kakashi stiffened, “She what?”

    The very corner of Nanami’s mouth twitched, a hint of her pleasure that they finally had hooked the Hokage into their plan, “One of my nephews, Atsushi...” She took a quivering breath that appeared absolutely genuine, “One of our staff found a bloodied package on our doorstep a few nights ago—“

    “Aiko’s never done anything like this before...” Hitomi interrupted, trailing off. Her expression appeared irritated and Kakashi picked up on it.

    “You seem more angry than concerned for your granddaughter.”

    The old woman snorted, “Who wouldn’t be? Have a child of your own, and when they start killing off people you love and sending their dismembered heads to you, let me know if you feel different. She shouldn’t be acting this way! We’ve never raised her to be a murderer! And don’t even get me started on her manipulative tendencies. Do you know how heart wrenching it was every time that Nanami had to come here to talk with the Hokage—or Aiko’s teachers—about why she was telling everyone we abused her?” The elderly woman huffed, clearly bothered.

    Kakashi held up his hands, “I’m not trying to offend, I just want to make sure I have all my facts straight. Especially since I remember Aiko going around and spreading the rumors—and she was very convincing.”

    Nanami appeared visibly shaken as she tried in vain to hold back tears, “Kakashi...” she said with a small voice, ditching formality entirely, “Aiko is my only child, my only daughter... I just want her home. We can deal with her if you get her back, maybe I can talk some sense into her and figure out why she’s doing this. I’m her mother, after all...” she choked back a sob.

    “You realize Aiko has committed a very serious offense and she needs to answer to it?” The Hokage explained.

    “Only to our clan, it’s not as if she’s attacking the village,” Hitomi said with a raised eyebrow.

    “Yes, but where do her actions stop?” Kakashi retorted, “Your clan lives on the outskirts, but the Okumura are still a part of Konoha.”    

    “Just get her back,” Nanami cried, “You can hold her for a while and question her yourself, whatever you need to do, just bring her back to my family. I just want her home...”

    “Worry about the judgement passing later,” Hitomi said softly, rubbing Nanami’s back and trying to console her, “We just need this to stop, our family is in danger as long as she’s out there.”

    Kakashi rubbed at his temples, “Maybe she just needs to be left alone for a bit? She’s not coming for the Okumura directly, right? So your safe as long as you don’t send any more people after her?”

    “Did Konoha have that same mindset with Sasuke Uchiha?” Hitomi spat, offended.

    Kakashi straightened, slightly embarrassed, “You’re right, my apologies.”

    “I only wish we hadn’t failed her,” Nanami wept, “All we wanted was to prepare Aiko for her succession. It’s a lot to put on a child, we know, but who will take care of the family when all of her elders are gone? It’s just our tradition...”

    “We just want to know if you’ll help us. We’re all at our wit’s end, we’ve no other options...” Nanami’s mother explained.

    “Given the circumstances, I’ll grant your request and mark the mission as S-Class. I would think our best option going forward would be to send the ANBU after her to keep any casualties at their absolute minimum.” The Hokage said, formally.

    “Thank you, Kakashi,” Hitomi said with an appreciative smile, “thank you for finally being one of the first people to believe that we’re not the monsters here.”

    “I have to say, I’m surprised the Okumura have never tried to dismiss these allegations before,” The Hokage said as he waived over his assistant and gave them a paper he had just written with instructions to bring in the ANBU.

    “We would never have time for anything else,” Nanami said softly, having recovered somewhat from her earlier distress. 

    “You could have spoken with the Hokage at any time, Sarutobi—or even Tsunade—would have done all they could to help you. I will even do my best to dispel these rumors.”

    “You’re very kind, Kakashi, but we’re a busy family. I barely have enough time in my day to take care of my own house and tend to the administrative work that my husband doesn’t like to deal with—I couldn’t drop all of my duties just to go around town and beg people to see reason. None of us have that kind of time. And with Aiko making up new stories any chance she could get, it would have been a constant, never ending thing...”

    “I suppose I can understand that reasoning.”

    “You will keep us in the loop on your ANBU’s progression?” Hitomi asked pleadingly.

    “Absolutely,” Kakashi reassured, “I’ll inform you the moment they set out, and I’ll send word the moment I get confirmation back that they’ve captured Aiko. Don’t worry.”

    Nanami forced a weak smile, wiping streaks off her face from where her tears had fallen, “Thank you, Kakashi, truly. Our family is in your debt.”

    With everything settled, the two women exited the room as Hitomi whispered soft, soothing words to her daughter to quell her sorrow. “See, Nanami? I told you going to the Hokage was the right thing. They’ll find Aiko and bring her back to us, don’t fret.” Then the door shut behind them and Kakashi could no longer hear their conversation. 

    He spun in his chair, looking out the windows that sat behind his desk and peered out over Konoha. never in his wildest dreams had he thought he could have been so fooled by a child’s stories. But, he supposed, it was possible for Aiko to have caused herself harm for the attention. Her bruises and cuts had never been that bad anyway. And if her family was really abusing her, he doubted they would have any self restraint to make sure Aiko’s wounds were innocuous. Abusers usually left more substantial marks on their victims.

    Regardless, Kakashi just hoped Aiko would see reason and come back peacefully. 

    He didn’t want to deal with any more bloodbaths if he could help it.


	10. Manipulation

    “Kakashi-sensei, what’s going on?” Naruto asked, watching as masked ninja were leaving the Hokage building. 

    The silver haired, older man sighed heavily, “Naruto... you need to address me by my title. I’m not your teacher anymore, I’m the leader of this village.”

    “Sure, whatever, but answer my question!”

    Kakashi looked up towards the blue sky and muttered something under his breath that the young blond couldn’t hear. Naruto scrunched his eyebrows together and tightened his lips as he tilted his head, confused. 

    “What, Kakashi-sensei?” 

    “Nothing, Naruto...” The Hokage said in defeat, looking back down. His former pupil would sooner join the Akatsuki than learn to follow protocol. “I’m sending the ANBU after Aiko, not that I should really be telling you that.”

    It was true, Kakashi shouldn’t be divulging mission information to anyone who wasn’t part of the tasked group, but the older man trusted the young blond. Naruto often might do something a little stupid, but he always had good judgment and he had proved himself more than anyone should have needed to that he was trustworthy. 

    “Well it’s about time!” Naruto shouted, a fist clenched in front of him. “I feel like everyone just gave up looking for her and Sasuke! And neither you nor the old lady would ever let me go off on my own search!”

    “Tsunade’s not that old, Naruto—“

    “She’s like over fifty, she could be a grandmother!”

    Kakashi held back a chuckle, “That’s enough, Naruto—and anyway, the ANBU are going to arrest Aiko.”

    “What? Why?”

    “They’ll bring her back, but she’s got a lot to answer for.”

    “Aiko? We’re talking about the same Aiko, right?”

    “She’s not who you think she is, Naruto.”

    “What on earth are you talking about?” Naruto’s face twisted with his confusion as he stared at his former teacher, eyeing him suspiciously as if he were ill. “Are you feeling alright? Do you not remember all the horrible bruises and cuts on her body and the stories she told about what her family did to her?”

    “I don’t think she was telling the truth, Naruto. I spoke with her mother and grandmother yesterday morning—“

    “And you believe them over _her_?!”

    “The facts don’t support Aiko’s clams—”

    “Are you serious?!” Naruto’s face was red as he glared at the stupidity of Kakashi. “What did her family say? I know I’m not very good at picking up on subtle things—and I know Aiko tried to keep all of it from me—but I’m not an idiot, Kakashi-sensei! It was so obvious that they were hurting her!”

    “They told me how she would harm herself to make her claims more believable; she was just being manipulative, Naruto. She’s not the person you believe she is...”

    “If I know anything, Kakashi-sensei,” Naruto began, quietly furious as he held his emotions back, “it’s that I can tell when someone is really hurting and when someone is faking it. You can’t hide that kind of real pain. And Aiko wasn’t making it all up! You didn’t know her like I did, you didn’t go through what I did. I saw the same hurt in her eyes that I’ve felt my whole life! It’s... like no one cares about you, everyone hates you for what you are, and you’re completely alone. She knew what that felt like, Kakashi-sensei... No one just pretends to hurt that badly...”

    “I understand how you feel, Naruto, but the only ones who know what really happened is Aiko and her family. None of us were there. There’s no definitive proof of anything. And it’s Aiko’s word against a whole group of people who say differently. I’ve already spoken with several others of her clan, they all have the same story saying Aiko did it for attention—“

    “They could all be in on it—!”

    “I can’t know that, Naruto!” Kakashi said, exasperated, “I’m not all knowing, all seeing.”

    Naruto’s gaze fell away, “I thought you, of all people, Kakashi-sensei, would know a lie when you saw one.” He turned away then and began walking in the direction of Konoha’s market, “I’ll find you proof. Then you’ll realize you’re wrong, believe it!”

    “I can’t let you enter the Okumura compound to go snooping, Naruto.” Kakashi said sternly to the blond’s back as he moved farther away.

    “It’s not like they’d let me in anyway... Don’t worry, Kakashi-sensei, I’m not going to cause any trouble with them!” Naruto shouted as he kicked off into a run and disappeared around a corner. 

    Kakashi sighed and took off his Hokage hat as he ran his fingers through his silver hair. Today was turning out to be too much. Too many questions, too few answers...

    Too many decisions to make. 

    

    The ANBU were leaving the village now, but it would be some time before they found Aiko. Kakashi absently wondered if he was making the right choice as he made his way back towards the Hokage building. 

    All the facts he had in his hands pointed towards the girl’s family being blameless. He had never seen any of them, or heard of any of them committing any crimes. Whenever in public, the Okumura always acted very polite—if a little stiff, but he could hardly hold that against them. Some people just valued propriety more than others. But most importantly, Kakashi had never once heard of the Okumura treating any children badly. Not even their own. So it appeared most likely that Aiko was making it all up. 

    An entire family of over a hundred individuals couldn’t all recount such a seamless story. If it was all made up to pin it on the girl, at least one person would slip on their alibi. 

    Kakashi hummed to himself, entering his office. He made a mental note to gather a small group of ninja with the skills to be subtle and discreet to interview the entire Okumura clan. Just to make sure their story held up.

    “That should put everyone’s mind at ease,” Kakashi thought to himself.


	11. Gentle

    While the village and its hot springs were nice, both Aiko and Sasuke decided it would be best to move on; especially as Aiko believed firmly that her family would send more people after her and she didn’t want to put anyone in danger when she could prevent it. 

    Being back on the road wasn’t so bad, however. The countryside was beautiful and the peace gave Aiko the opportunity to purge her thoughts. It had been so long since she last had a truly serene moment to focus on something other than the ever-lurking threat that gnawed at her heels, waiting for her to trip.

    She wished it could always be like this. 

    “Well, where to next?” Sasuke asked, a slight smile on his face. He was enjoying the peace as well. 

    “I have no idea,” Aiko admitted. She wasn’t bothered by that admission though; all that mattered to her since she had run away with her companion all those years ago was simply that she was no longer caged. She could do whatever she wanted! Her family wasn’t around to scold her and beat her for her actions. 

    “We should still stay away from bigger towns,” Sasuke said, thinking over their situation. 

    Aiko nodded her agreement, “My grandmother used to talk about an elaborate web of spies one of her nieces ran,” she scrunched her face, it sounded absurd saying it out loud, “I’m sure it reaches into every major village... At least as far as the Wind and Earth countries.” She finished, hoping it didn’t sound as ridiculous as she thought it did. 

    “I suppose we’ll just stick to these back roads then,” Sasuke replied reassuringly. 

    The red head grinned. In her heart, she didn’t know what she had done right to deserve such a devout friend—maybe even something more. Sasuke had his own troubles, he always had, but somehow he always made room within himself to worry and care for her. 

    “I hope...” Aiko began, stopping misstep and turning towards the Uchiha, “...I hope you don’t regret coming back for me.” She looked away shyly, not able to meet her companion’s gaze as he stood mere feet in front of her. “When you apprenticed under Orochimaru and I stayed back, settling in a new village—waiting for you... you didn’t have to come back for me. After you killed him, you could have just been on your way... You could have started over fresh somewhere...” 

    “Aiko...”

    “I just—“

    “I came back because I care about you.”

    “I know.” Aiko smiled, but behind it was a wall of sorrow. “I’m just so glad you did—especially when you didn’t have to.” 

    “You doubted that I would?”

    “It’s not that,” Aiko said quickly, shaking her hands in front of her, “ I’ve never had much faith in anyone caring about me. Even those I hold closest.” She tilted her head, and even though she was still smiling, a tear rolled down her face, “But it feels so nice to know that I have you to count on. You’ve never let me down, not even once. Even when you were so wrapped up in your revenge, you never pushed that same agenda on me. You always just accepted me the way I am, flaws and all. And I... don’t know what I’ve done to deserve that, but I’m grateful for it. I really am.”

    Sasuke’s expression softened and he stepped closer to Aiko, leaving only a breath’s gap between them, “I know what it’s like to feel alone, even before my family was killed,” he said, “Mostly, it was just that I didn’t know how to help you—and you never asked for help—I just wanted to respect your boundaries.” He laughed a little then, “I suppose that seems stupid, I probably could have done something—should have done something—“

    “It would have just made everything more difficult,” Aiko interrupted, resting her hands on Sasuke’s arms. “But thank you.”

    “Even so, I’ll protect you now like I couldn’t before.” His gaze was hard and determined as he stared into the blue pools of Aiko’s eyes. 

    “I’m so scared, Sasuke,” Aiko admitted, her grip on him tightening. “I feel more free than I ever have, but I still feel just as terrified...” 

    “I know.” He hugged her close, pressing her into the warmth of his body. Aiko rested her head against his chest and listened to the sound of his heartbeat. So soothing; she could fall asleep to that rhythm. 

    She closed her eyes and her own heartbeat synched with his. Wherever she imagined she could belong in the world, right here felt best. She never wanted to leave this comfort. 

    Aiko pulled away then and looked up into onyx stones. She cupped both sides of Sasuke’s face and lifted herself on her toes as she pressed her lips to his. So warm... soft. 

    Gentle.

    Sasuke embraced Aiko fully as his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. There was a longing there that was breaking free, and he welcomed the kiss completely. Even deepening it further as each tasted the other.

    There was no long term plan for the future, but Sasuke and Aiko only had each other. There was no one else in their lives. No one else they could count on. They had both run away from the only place they had ever known as home, and there was little doubt in their minds that they weren’t already branded criminals. That just left the two of them. 

    Two people wrapped up in their own messes—because of their own choices.

    

    But they had each other.


	12. Oppressive Gloom

**TEN YEARS AGO**

 

    The moon was already beginning its descent towards the horizon by the time Aiko had a chance to slip away from the Okumura compound. A good portion of her family had been awake most of the night dealing with some mess that was wreaking havoc on the family business and only minutes ago did the last of the lights switch off. That wasn’t to say Aiko was in the clear, she still needed to be careful—but now was as good a chance as she was going to get to slip away.

    Absently, as the young girl slinked from one shadow to the next, making her way into Konoha, she wondered what the extent of the family business entailed. She knew already that her parents dealt in certain forms of assassination—and several of her aunts and uncles ran something like a blackmail ring, gathering influential information and selling it to interested parties—but she didn’t know what the rest of the family did. Though, surely, it was just as diabolical. 

    Aiko didn’t know where she was meant to go, but she followed her gut as she glided around dark corners and ducked underneath windows. Her mind was still screaming at her that something was terribly wrong and she needed to know why that was. 

    As the young red head checked all of her usual spots around the village, something within her told her to go to Sasuke. She didn’t know why, and part of her told her that it was a bad idea—especially as she knew everyone was probably sleeping and would yell at her for entering the Uchiha home uninvited—but she followed her instincts. 

     Arriving, everything was as she expected it to be. The moon was sinking low, almost touching the inky silhouettes of the treetops, and everything was dark. In perhaps an hour more, the sun would begin its ascension, casting warm colors into the sky and banishing midnight’s monsters. But for now, and to Aiko’s advantage, everything would remain shrouded. 

    There were no lights within the houses as Aiko walked into the Uchiha Compound, but something reeked—like rust and iron. And as she turned a corner, nearing the home of her friend, her foot squished in something wet. She felt her sock instantly soak through and her face contorted into that of displeasure. But when she looked down, she suddenly didn’t care so much anymore, and her expression became horrified. 

    The young girl’s blue eyes widened in terror as she stared at a littering of bodies that trailed across the ground. Blood was soaking into the earth and a heavy aura of death weighed down on her small shoulders. 

    Carefully, and slowly, Aiko stepped around the bodies and searched the grey faces. She looked for Sasuke among the dead, scared that she might actually find him. Her mind buzzed frantically over what could have happened but she had no answers and was too much in shock to think clearly. 

    Her instincts kicked in several steps later, despite her knowing it would be futile, and she began trying to heal the bodies she came across. Her hands glowed a soft green as she hovered them over the chests of the deceased but nothing happened. And by the end of it, having tried to revive almost everyone that she came across, she was only left feeling weak and tired. Her chakra was all but gone and the young girl felt as though she was running completely on reserves. But she still hadn’t found Sasuke, and she wasn’t going to give up.

    The houses were empty as Aiko searched them. She was forced to maneuver through total chaos as everything was strewn about or broken, and blood stained every surface. Aiko’s sandals crushed shards of pottery and glass and she frequently had to move objects out of the way to search rooms. 

    Sasuke’s house was the only one left that she hadn’t searched by the time she reached it. She had done so intentionally, afraid that her fears would become true once she entered. She desperately wanted to find Sasuke alive. Somehow. But by the time she reached his parents’ room, her hope had all but faded. 

    She peered into the darkness hesitantly, hands held close to her chest and took in a sharp breath when she saw the two figures sprawled on the floor. Her heart flipped at the sight of Sasuke’s parents—Fugaku and Mikoto—lying in their own blood, but all she felt was relief when she saw Sasuke pressed into one of the far corners of the room. 

    The young Uchiha sat on the floor, leaning heavily into the wall at his back, staring hard at the wall at his side—and he was shaking violently. His eyes were large and horrified, and he didn’t even notice that he wasn’t alone anymore. 

    Aiko slowly made her way over to him, wanting to make sure he was okay, but as soon as she touched his arm Sasuke spiraled into a series of frenzied screams and he scrambled away from her as he ran from the room. Aiko felt herself crying from the overwhelming force of all the emotions that bore into her. She stumbled several times as she chased after her friend, only catching up to him once outside and a few houses down. 

    She had Sasuke by his wrist, and she pulled him towards her and shook him to get him to calm down. He was hysterical, but once he realized it was just Aiko, he hugged her tightly, crying hard into her shoulder. 

    Sasuke said nothing and Aiko maintained that silence until the boy exhausted his tears and his voice was hoarse. When she felt he had calmed down enough, she asked what had happened—who had done all of this. Just... _why?_

    The young Uchiha’s eyes were dead as he explained as best as he could, and when he talked of Itachi, he trailed off as if his mind was far away.

    Aiko tried to make sense of it all, of Sasuke’s almost incoherent ramblings, but it would never make sense to her. Itachi loved his family, he would never hurt any of them. But even as she fought against it, the truth was all around her—staring at her with dead, bulging eyes and forever petrified expressions and silent screams. 

    Aiko released Sasuke, studying him. She was only eight, but she could tell that her friend was in immense shock. His expression was blank now, and his eyes looked distant as he turned from her. The young red head called the boy’s name but he didn’t answer. He merely dragged his feet, one in front of the other, and wandered the compound. Occasionally, Sasuke stopped to look at certain dead bodies, but he was unable to cry for them as the wells in his eyes had dried. 

    It would be long after the sun had risen before Aiko would even think of returning home. Not before she convinced Sasuke to go to the Hokage though, and she wouldn’t let him go alone. More than anything, Sasuke needed her to be there for him, to be his support now that he no longer had any. 

    By the time Aiko made her way back into the Okumura compound, it was late into the day. No one said anything to her, however, nor tried to reprimand her. Everyone knew what had happened, and they all knew that scolding her would only reflect badly on the family. 

    So they let this one slide. And they let Aiko have more free time over the next few weeks so she could take care of her dearest friend. Ironically, what was a horrible travesty for Sasuke was a blessing for the young girl. But even that ended eventually and her usual strict schedule resumed. 

    Not that it mattered much.

 

    Everything was forever changed. 

 

    And Aiko’s friendship with Sasuke would reach new depths—as they were the only two who could ever possibly understand each other.


	13. ANBU

    Something in the air just felt off. The hairs on the back of Aiko’s neck stood on end and a sharp shiver traveled the length of her spine. She glanced at her surroundings as she and Sasuke walked a narrow road that wound through a dense copse. The trees might not have been particularly tall—Aiko could see the sky above them and the sun as it glared overhead like an irritated blister—but everything was so tightly pressed together outside of their small path that Aiko was beginning to feel claustrophobic. 

    And paranoid. 

    The small space offered both advantage and disadvantage. While impossible to walk into an ambush, the confined spaces also made sure that any sort of defense against an attack was rendered almost useless. Sasuke and Aiko wouldn’t be able to work together against any sort of threat, it would all have to be one-on-one. While that wasn’t inherently a bad thing, it posed the problem of stronger attacks being used against allies in the crossfire. And should they get separated, it would be difficult to mount a rescue—or offer aid of any sort. 

    Neither Sasuke nor Aiko were weak Genin, though, and having to work alone still weighed heavily in both their favors. They were skilled ninja. If not for abandoning their village, their ranks would no doubt be Jounin at the very least. 

    Off in the distance, a low caw resonated against the hugging trees. A crow maybe? Aiko didn’t know the area well enough to know what wildlife dwelled here. Not that it mattered. But then a twig snapped at their backs and Aiko whipped around harshly, only to see some small creature bounding away in fright. She heaved out her pent up breath, not having realized she was holding it. To her side, Sasuke laughed at her. 

    “Jumpy?” He was smiling, mocking her lightheartedly. 

    “I just don’t like tight spaces,” Aiko said with an edge, “I just want to get out of here.” 

    “What are you worried about?” Sasuke swept a hand around him but then cursed when his wrist smacked into the trunk of one of the trees. 

    Aiko smothered her own laugh, but her seriousness returned quickly, “I just have an itch that we shouldn’t linger...”

    Sasuke raised a brow, skeptical of her paranoia. He knew she had spent most of her life isolated and a large part of him was brushing off her worry as just a form of anxiety. After all, it would be completely normal for her to overreact to such confined spaces. 

    He laid a hand on her shoulder, meeting her blue eyes with his own onyx ones, “It’s going to be okay,” he reassured, “don’t worry. This thicket isn’t all that large, we should almost be out of it.”

    Aiko nodded slowly, clinging to his words like a lifeline—and his hand. Her spine was a mess of sharp tingles and her feet twitched at an eagerness to run out of the trees and find fresh air. 

    They continued on, the small wood eerily silent. Even though there was a faint breeze, it hardly moved any of the trees or their small canopies. The only noise that carried was the occasional bird and some soft croaking of frogs that hid beneath leaves and bushes. Neither of which helped ease Aiko’s tension. 

    “Look,” Sasuke pointed in front of him with his free hand, “the way out. We’re almost there.” He smiled at a stern Aiko, who was now just a jumble of tense nerves, and picked up their pace. After a few quick steps, he felt her release his hand and turned his head to see her pressing bother her arms to her chest as she followed closely behind him. 

    Once breaking through the trees, out into the morning sun and the free air, Sasuke noticed an oppressive heaviness leave his body. He hadn’t noticed it before, but now he knew why his companion had been so on edge. The Uchiha breathed in deeply and turned around with a smile.

    Then he frowned. 

    Aiko wasn’t behind him. 

    Immediately, on instinct, he plunged back into the copse and searched frantically for the familiar red hair of his companion. She had been right behind him! There was no way she would have fallen behind and gotten lost so close to the exit. 

    Muffled grunts and rustling leaves to his left alerted the Uchiha. He sprinted off, squeezing through the tight spaces and ducking under low branches. It didn’t take him long to spot a scattered group of ninja, peppered through a small area of the wood, dragging a struggling Aiko away. They had her hands and feet bound already. It didn’t take long for them to notice Sasuke either and their plan to carry Aiko back the way they had come was thrown out the window as they went for the closest edge to the forest. The way Sasuke had just come back from. 

    For the briefest of moments, Sasuke hesitated. He recognized the white masks with red paint the ninja wore and his face twisted with confusion; the ANBU. He chased after them, but they were quick. Already they were out of the thicket and putting distance behind them as they ran widely in the direction Sasuke could only guess led towards the Hidden Leaf Village.

    Once clear of the trees, the Uchiha glared coldly and sprinted after Aiko’s assailants. They were going around the wood, a decision that would tack on a large chunk of time onto their return journey.  His speed was matched with theirs, which only angered Sasuke further. He felt foolish; of course they were still in the fire. Aiko would never be free of her family for as long as she lived—he had let himself become lax because of the days that had been Okumura-activity-free. They were a stubborn, insufferable bunch and they wouldn’t give up on one of their most valuable assets so easily. He should have kept his guard up.

    “He’s right behind us,” one ANBU spoke to another, looking over their shoulder. There were seven of them, all grouped together, the ANBU holding Aiko slung over his shoulder was in the middle—actively ignoring the cursing she was verbally throwing at him. Normally, he would have been at the front, but none of them knew the extent of Aiko’s allies—they needed to protect their mark from all angles. 

    “Should some of us fall behind and keep him distracted?” Another chimed in.

    “No,” the man in the middle—their leader—spoke, “our orders were only to capture the girl. Besides, engaging the boy would only result in a loss of our numbers. We don’t know how strong he’s become since running to Orochimaru, and I need all of you at my side.”

    “He’ll follow us the whole way back, though.”

    “Then we’ll have to figure out how to shake him.” The leader then let out a short, bark of a laugh, “Of course, it won’t matter so long as we make it back to Konoha. He wouldn’t be able to do anything then.”

    The group nodded their agreement, but a couple of them that ran at the back kept glancing over their shoulders. Sasuke wasn’t gaining, but he wasn’t falling behind either. And the trek back to Konoha was a week out at best. They couldn’t run the whole way. Even with their training and stamina, and if they used chakra to keep them going as long as possible, the ANBU would fall with exhaustion after just over a day.

    Aiko struggled in the leader’s arms, flailing her body wildly to try to throw him off balance. He grunted at her attempts, but was otherwise unfazed. 

    “So, the ANBU works for my family now?” Aiko spat in disgust.

    “The ANBU work solely for Konoha, guided by the Hokage,” One answered, monotone. 

    Aiko laughed, “Then the Hokage is under the control of the Okumura! How fitting.”

    “Your family begged the Hokage to send us after you.”

    Aiko scoffed in disbelief, “You’re having me on, right? My family would never _beg_ for outside help.”

    “I’m sure your threats and the murder of your family members made them rethink that position,” the man holding Aiko chimed in, “Is that not what you wanted? For your family to live in fear of you showing up and murdering more of them? They’re scared out of their wits!”

    “There was no other point for the severed head, otherwise,” Another added.

    Aiko was speechless, staring at the mask of the ANBU who ran just behind her capturer. Her face was a mess of confusion, “What?” She asked, not understanding. “What did my family tell you?”

    “Quiet!”

    “No! What did they tell you?!”

    “AIKO!” Sasuke voice carried over and the red head’s blue gaze immediately snapped to his distant form.

    “I’M OKAY, SASUKE!” She called back, struggling more against the ANBU holding her. If she could just get her arms free... “My fan! What did you do—“

    An ANBU at the girl’s right looked at her then, “As if we’d leave your weapon on you.” And there it was, on their back, tied tightly in three places with a thin rope to keep it locked in place. 

    “What’s my family paying you?!” Aiko demanded.

    “Nothing,” the leader answered.

    “Bullshit,” Aiko spat.

    “You’re an S-Rank missing ninja, Aiko Okumura,” The leader went on, formally, voice loud and stern but controlled, “We ANBU are to return you to Konohagakure, where you will answer for your crimes of murder to the Hokage. What happens after is none of our concern.”

    “Answer for my crimes?!” Aiko’s head felt like it was spinning, her world felt very much upside down. “I haven’t committed any crimes against the Hidden Leaf! My family sent assassins after me! I acted in self defense! What are you going on about?!”

    “We’ve already been warned against your manipulation,” the leader spoke, “so save your breath and spare us the lies.” 

    “I’M NOT LYING!”

    “Can you prove it?” The ANBU holding Aiko’s fan chided.

    “I...” she couldn’t.

    The group was silent then, satisfied that they had pacified Aiko’s arguing. But in the girl’s mind, her thoughts were a torrent. Something had happened while she was away, her family had done something. She was sure of it. The Hokage wouldn’t have agreed to this barbaric capture-and-return otherwise. But Aiko didn’t have time to worry about that right now. She needed to escape. 

    But she didn’t know how.

    And she didn’t want to hurt any of the ANBU.

    Despite what they were doing, Aiko cared for everyone in Konoha. They were a better family to her than hers had ever been. Hurting them would only feed into the image the Okumura were painting of her. And she wasn’t going to give them that satisfaction. She would figure out how to set the record straight.


	14. Allegations

    Maintaining a constant distance, neither falling behind nor gaining, Sasuke’s mind worked over how he could help Aiko. In truth, the ANBU had no idea how strong he had become; it wasn’t a lack of agility—or ability—that kept him behind, but rather, he didn’t know how to rescue Aiko without causing harm. And disposing of the Leaf Ninja was out of the question as Aiko had already yelled at him not to hurt anyone when he had thrown several kunai at the group—one of which had hit its mark and was embedded deep within the shoulder of an ANBU who ran at the back. 

    “What do you expect me to do, then?!” Sasuke had yelled back, irritated. As he had expected, Aiko only managed to fumble out that she didn’t know, but she didn’t want any of them injured or killed. 

    It was a cumbersome restriction, Sasuke didn’t understand it. 

    As Aiko had said this, however, the ANBU looked to each other curiously. Without their masks, perhaps the red head could have seen the confusion on their faces, but as it was, their emotions were as much a mystery to her as their identities were. 

    “Look,” Aiko started, groaning as her stomach was pressed harshly into the shoulder of the ANBU who carried her—and all the running only made it hurt worse, “whatever my family told the Hokage, I guarantee it wasn’t true!” 

    “So you didn’t murder ten ninja that belonged to your clan and send one of their heads back to your father?” The ANBU leader replied sarcastically. 

    Aiko bit her tongue and held back a string of curses that flittered through her mind, she didn’t need his attitude. “I’m not denying any of that,” she finally replied, carefully, “but what I’m trying to say—UNF!” Her words were cut off as the ANBU jumped over a fallen tree that stood in their way, causing her body to crush a little harder into her captor. Aiko wished her arms weren’t bound, she wanted desperately to shift her weight, or to put her hands underneath her as a cushion, but if that were the case...

    She’d just use the mobility to escape. 

    “Can you be more gentle while you’re carrying me?!” Aiko barked.

    “Oh! I’m sorry,” the ANBU leader answered, same mocking tone as before, “Would you like us to stop and I can put you down and we’ll have lunch?” A few of the others in the group laughed quietly at his words—Aiko frowned deeply at all of them. 

    “Not only do I have to endure kidnapping, but now I have to suffer bad humor as well!” Aiko hissed to herself. She needed to figure a way to get through to them. There was no way she could let them take her all the way back to Konoha. 

    “If we had approached you directly, none of us would have gotten anywhere. We already know you refuse to return of your own free will. So that leaves us only with this choice.”

    “Don’t pretend to know my mind,” Aiko spat, awkwardly pounding her bound hands into the man’s back. 

    “You feel like coming back to the Hidden Leaf with us on your own then?” Aiko was silent at his question, which was all the answer he needed. “Didn’t think so.”

    The red head took a deep breath and held it a moment until she felt herself calm down—he was infuriating! Of all the ninja at Konohagakure’s employ, she had to get stuck with this bunch. Her former stance on Sasuke not injuring any of them was beginning to dissolve. She didn’t want anything serious to happen to them, but some minor injuries might not be so bad...

    Aiko shook her head and pushed the thought away, she needed her resolve to be strong. “At least tell me what story my family is spinning,” Aiko prodded, relaxing and staring at the ground. The man carrying her snorted out a laugh, as if it was absurd that she was still trying to ask such a question. She should _know_ after all, right? He ignored her, and brushed it off as her ploy of manipulation, to maintain an innocent image. Ask questions and pretend you don’t know what’s going on; an exploitative staple for such a person.

    It was an ANBU to her side who eventually answered her after a brief silence, “Nanami and Hitomi Okumura requested aid from the Hokage to have you captured and returned home. You’ve threatened your entire family and they believe you plan on killing as many of them as you can get your hands on.”

    “Yes, yes—you already told me all of that...”

    “The Hokage is currently working with the Okumura to negate your allegations of abuse, which we were informed that you lied about. Your mother was adamant that you only hurt yourself as a way to garner proof to make your accusations more believable.”

    “I... what?”

    “Once we return you to Konoha, the Hokage wants to question you. You will answer towards the murders you have committed but also to the very serious lies you’ve told. Abuse is nothing to mock, Aiko Okumura,” it was the leader who spoke now, his voice stern and his previous humor gone.

    “My family... is telling people that _I’m_ the one who hurt _myself_? For _attention_?” She was baffled, it was a ridiculous notion and it made no sense that anyone would believe it. “And the Hokage has questioned _all_ of my family about this?”

    “We left while the investigation was still underway. In your favor, I suppose, we won’t know if their story holds up until we return to Konohagakure.” 

“Then you don’t actually _know_ that I’m guilty?” Aiko surmised. 

    “You’re guilty of ten murders,” the ANBU carrying Aiko’s weapon replied harshly, “That’s more than enough reason to bring you in all on its own.” 

    Aiko’s mind raced as she watched small stones pass by underfoot. None of it made sense to her. Her family’s ploy was to basically play on everyone’s compassion—something they _never_ did. They never played emotional games. Whenever Aiko had caught glimpses of the family business, or any interaction the Okumura had with anyone, everything was to the point. Even their cruelty towards her was very brazen and straightforward. Sure, it hurt her psychologically, but that was completely on her end. The pain they inflicted was always physical. And at the most, it only scratched at mental abuse when they locked her away in the Temple. But that was it.

    “Stop,” Aiko whispered, subconsciously. 

    No one seemed to hear her. 

    “STOP!”

    “Not until we reach the Hidden Leaf, I’m afraid.” the Leader responded casually.

    “I’ll go with you on my own, just _stop!”_

    He laughed, “Yeah, I’m not falling for that.”

    “Are you even listening to me?! I said I’ll return to Konoha of my own free will!”

    “And I’m supposed to trust your word?”

    Aiko felt tears sting her blue eyes. She looked out towards Sasuke who was still following from behind and she wanted nothing more than to be wrapped in his arms, to be wrapped in that reassuring comfort. Her whole world felt as though it was falling apart. She thought she had gotten away from all of this—away from her family. She thought—she had _hoped—_ that they would have just eventually given up on her. 

    “I care about everyone in Konoha...” Aiko said through her tears, “I don’t want them thinking I’m some monster when I’m not...” She bit her bottom lip, willing herself to maintain composure, “I need to set the record straight.”    

    “You realize we can’t trust you?”

    “I don’t care about that! Put me down! You’ve been running for hours and my torso is bruised from riding on your shoulder! I won’t run away.”

    The ANBU all looked between each other, skeptical, but they silently admitted that they were feeling the beginning effects of fatigue and even a brief rest sounded nice.

    “I’ll talk to Sasuke, no one will get hurt.” Aiko explained, determined. “We’ll come back with you, I promise. Just—“ another nauseating jump, “—please... put me down...”

    The leader ‘tsk’ed’, obviously not liking the position he was in. But they couldn’t keep running like this forever. They would have to stop eventually, which would allow Sasuke to catch up anyway. Regardless of wether they believed Aiko or not, they would have been forced into this predicament sooner or later. He supposed it was best to deal with it now. Especially as circumstances were appearing to lean in the ANBU’s favor. They couldn’t expect Aiko to honor her word, no one knew what was true or not, but there was seven of them against two. And all of the ANBU were exceptionally trained, highly skilled ninja. Above even that of Jounin. 

    Those were agreeable odds. 

    “Fine,” the leader eventually said after a painfully long silence. They began slowing down, one ANBU shouting instructions at the Uchiha who tailed them, an attempt to keep things peaceful. Then they stopped and the leader set Aiko on the ground. “Try anything and your situation will get ugly.”

    Aiko groaned in relief, barely registering his words as he began untying her. Though, she had to stifle a smile and a snicker when Sasuke joined the group and laid a heavy punch into one of the ANBU’s chests—the one with the kunai wound—sending them flying into a nearby tree. 

    Aiko breathed shallowly as she prodded at her bruised stomach, “Stop, Sasuke! We’re going to go with them,” she quickly explained, earning an onyx glare from her companion. 

    The six other ANBU all assumed fighting stances at Sasuke’s assault to their comrade. 

    “They deserved at least that much,” the Uchiha said coldly to the red head, not even winded from the long run. “You really plan on returning? After everything?” He eventually asked in disbelief. 

    “I need to do this,” Aiko replied, standing up and ignoring the screams of her aching muscles.

    When one of the ANBU took a hesitant step towards Sasuke he shot them a dead stare, “Relax. If I wanted to kill any of you, you’d already be dead.”

    “Cocky bastard,” The ANBU Sasuke injured spat as one of his comrades helped him up.

    The Uchiha ‘hmphed’, “I know my own abilities. None of you are a match for me.”

    “Stop bickering,” Aiko said, annoyed as she rubbed her wrists. 

    “Enough, all of you!” The ANBU leader cut in, “We still have plenty of time before nightfall. We’re going to keep moving until then!” He grabbed Aiko’s arm and began leading her away. “This wasn’t a leisure stop.”

    Aiko tried pulling her arm away but the ANBU’s grip was iron, “I can walk on my own!” 

    “I can see that,” the leader replied, “but you’re still a prisoner.”

    “She gave you her word that she wouldn’t run away,” Sasuke said with a dangerous edge, walking just behind Aiko so he could keep an eye on the situation, “let her go.”

    “I don’t make a habit of handing out my full trust,” the ANBU leader tossed mockingly over his shoulder. Around them, the six other special ops ninja formed a lax ring to maintain control—though the injured ANBU Sasuke had punched hobbled slightly at the back. 

    Aiko sighed heavily and looked down at her feet. Willing or no, it was going to be a long, tedious journey back to the Hidden Leaf.


	15. Fake Smiles

**TEN YEARS AGO**

 

    “Sasuke! Oh Sasuke!” 

    A bubbly mass of teetering fan girls barraged the Uchiha with questions and desperation. Aiko watched on, seated directly behind her childhood friend, as he ignored them completely. His eyes were distant and dark—more so than usual—and she knew his mind was mulling over _that night_.

    The night Itachi murdered the entire Uchiha clan. 

    Sitting next to him, Naruto Uzumaki scowled, brooding. He hated that Sasuke got all the attention, especially when it was so clear that he didn’t want it. He didn’t see what was so special about this moody, dark haired boy. He was determined to be better than him! He was going to become Hokage! 

    “Naruto!” A pink hair girl whined, “Why are _you_ sitting next to Sasuke?! You’re just bothering him! Move somewhere else so _I_ can sit next to him!” 

    Naruto’s eyes were pleading, “Sakura...” he didn’t know why she had to be so mean to him. He was certain that he had never done anything in his life to draw her ire. 

    “Wait a minute Billboard-Brow!” A blonde girl cut in, hands on her hips and a frown on her face, “Why do _you_ get to sit next to Sasuke?! I was here first!”    

    “Actually, I was here first!” Another girl cut in.

    “No, I was! I should get to sit next to Sasuke!” Another.

    “What are you talking about?! You just got here and I’ve been here twenty minutes already!”

    “You’re a liar!” 

    The arguing went on, and on, until Aiko couldn’t even tell what they were talking about anymore. It was just a mass of high-pitched voices with no way to discern between them. Eventually, Naruto got out of his seat to stand on top of the desk and argue with Sakura about something Aiko couldn’t make out. He had a fist raised in front of him, overzealous anger on his face, and enthusiasm that was highly misplaced. Aiko took the opportunity to hop over the long desk that spanned her side of the aisle and slid in next to the Uchiha boy. No one seemed to notice. Yet. 

    “How do you put up with this?” The Okumura girl asked her long-time friend with a raised eyebrow. 

    Sasuke had his elbows propped on top of his own desk, hands folded in front of him and covering his mouth. He sighed heavily and shut his eyes but otherwise didn’t move, “I just don’t give them my attention. I don’t want to feed into their stupidity. They’re just a bunch of idiots.”

    “HEY!” A shrill voice cut in. Aiko’s head twisted to the side to see Sakura and the blonde, Ino Yamanaka, pointing manicured fingers at her. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” It was Ino who was speaking. 

    “Sitting next to my best friend?” Aiko’s said with confusion. 

    Ino seemed to hesitate, her hand dropping a little. Sakura took up the podium then, “And what makes _you_ his _best_ friend?!”

    “We grew up together?”

    Usually, at Sasuke behest, Aiko stayed out of the drama completely while they were in school. She didn’t want to deal with it and Sasuke always made an excellent point that if Aiko were to ever be caught near him, his fangirls would go into a bloodlust. But today, Sasuke had looked painfully lonely, and entirely fed up with all these annoying girls, and Aiko wanted to show that she was still there for him. 

    “Y...You guys grew up together?” Sakura seemed shocked, then she turned towards Ino with watery eyes. “Is this going to ruin our chances to be with Sasuke?!” The two of them wined over the possibility that their master plans were crumbling now, all thought of the red head that was sitting mere feet away from them forgotten.  Their voices resonated with devastation and Aiko couldn’t help but pull her lips into a tight line and stare off in front of her in disbelief. 

    With some effort, as they were still screaming only feet away, Aiko pushed the girls from her mind and focused her attention on Sasuke. “That tree in our favorite spot is in bloom,” Aiko said with a genuine smile, “I was going to go there after school to pick the fruit that’s ripe. Do you want to come with me?” 

    Sasuke was silent a moment as he pondered this. When finally he turned and faced Aiko’s blue, expectant eyes, “I can’t,” was all he said. 

    Her smile fell, “Why not?”

    Sasuke put his hands down, arms now folded in front of him, “I can’t waste time, Aiko. Itachi is still out there, probably killing more innocent people in his quest for power. Just because _he can_...” He practically hissed the last words and his glare threatened to burn holes past Aiko’s shoulder. “I need to become stronger. Then...” He looked back into those ever familiar, sorrowful blue eyes “...we can go from there.”

    Aiko had to look away, “I know you need this... so, it’s okay.” She smiled again, but it appeared forced and there was a deep sadness behind it, “I’ll always be here for you, no matter how much time passes.”    

    Sasuke smiled too—a small, fake facade, “Thank you, Aiko.”


	16. Memory

    “We’ll camp here for the night!” The ANBU leader shouted to his team as they began setting about various tasks. Eventually, one of them had a fire going, which blessedly pushed away the evening chill. 

    Aiko slumped in front of the blazing flames and closed her eyes, pulling her knees up to her chest and hugging them close to her body. She didn’t know what it was she should have been feeling—anxious maybe? Afraid? Determined? All she felt was numb. Over five years she and Sasuke had been on the road, but a small part of her had always believed that she would never go back. There was no reason for her to go back. If anything at all, she just missed Naruto—a lot—but he was the only solid chain that tethered her to the Hidden Leaf. She cared about the people she had grown up around, sure, but it wasn’t the same. Running away had always been her blessing she couldn’t admit she needed. 

    Sasuke sat down next to Aiko and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him. “Are you okay?” It wasn’t so much a question about her wellbeing as it was a question on wether she really wanted to go through with this. He knew the turmoil Aiko’s emotions warred inside her, even if she couldn’t feel them, but he would never doubt her. If she really— _truly—_ wanted this, he would support her. 

    “I wonder what’s going to happen when we get back,” Aiko replied distantly as she set her chin on the tops of her knees. 

    “Does it matter?” Sasuke asked softly, “No matter what obstacles come your way, you always pull through.” There was no hesitation in his voice as he spoke, and when Aiko looked over at her companion, she saw that he really believed every word he was saying. “I’m not worried,” he finished, looking into the blue depths of her eyes that swirled with orange from the fire. 

    “What if no one believes me?” Aiko whispered, feeling a heavy sadness threaten to blanket her. 

    “No need to worry about that!” The ANBU leader said cheerfully as he trodden over to the duo. 

    Aiko turned to face the masked man, confusion twisting her features, “What?”

    “We need your full cooperation, however,” the leader went on, ignoring Aiko’s question, “This will only work at its best if you are completely open. Normally, we break a target before doing this, but I have an inkling that you’ll work with us.”

    “Break a target?”

    A new ANBU walked over this time, one who hadn’t yet spoken to Aiko, “The technique works best when all mental and physical barriers have been torn down.” Their voice was soft, melodic, and feminine. “I usually only do this during interrogations—after I’ve tortured the target to lower all their defenses.”

    Aiko’s eyes widened and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sasuke inching his hand towards his sword. 

    “As long as you don’t fight me, the process will be painless,”The ANBU woman explained. “Your instinct will be to throw up your own mental barriers— _don’t_.” 

    The red head felt her breathing become shallow as she took in this information. There was a certain danger in the woman’s voice, a very plain threat in her words. They would get whatever information they were looking for whether Aiko wanted them to or not. But this was good, she surmised. She wanted the truth to be known; if this would help her achieve that, so be it. 

    “What do I need to do?” Aiko asked, though cautiously. 

    The ANBU woman walked over to the red head and crouched on one knee in front of her. “Just relax,” she said as she put the palm of her hand on Aiko’s forehead.

    There was a brief moment of silence before Aiko closed her eyes and felt a strange wiggling in her mind. The woman was right, her instinct was to fight it, but Aiko forced herself to remain open and calm. At first, she felt as though she was drifting. Far, far away from the little campsite, out into a vast nothingness. Her senses left her; Aiko could no longer smell the burning wood or hear its crackle as flames consumed it. Eventually, she couldn’t even feel her body anymore, nor could she open her eyes. She was nothing but her mind now. Any minuscule barriers she might have left standing crumbled away. 

    Defenseless.

    “Did your family abuse you?” The ANBU woman—their Wolf—asked carefully. She had to make sure she kept her questions under ten words, and she would only have the opportunity to ask Aiko three question before she would have to break the connection. 

    Immediately, an image poured into the connected minds. Both Aiko and the ANBU  woman saw the cruelty of the Okumura family. That first image was of a day Aiko could never forget. The day her mother had been talking with the Hokage, when she had discovered Aiko and Naruto talking outside of the Uchiha Compound—when she had told everything to her husband, Karasu, and he had beaten Aiko and thrown her in the Temple. She had been locked in there the longest, on that occasion. 

    Three days. 

    By the time Aiko’s parents came for her, she was dangerously dehydrated, starving, and had soiled herself multiple times as there had been nowhere for her to go. Her shame had crushed her that day, but she couldn’t remember caring about it at the time as she had downed several glasses of water and gladly at the stale bread, cheese, and cold vegetables her family had given her with vigor. Her entire family had mocked her, scolded her, and then locked her in her room afterwards. Aiko had cried until her eyes were swollen and red and there was nothing left, then she slept dreamlessly and woke the next day with a pounding headache. 

    “Did you murder your family members in self-defense?”

    Involuntarily, an image popped into Aiko’s mind as she shared it with the ANBU. That day on the rocky mountaintop—Atsushi laughing at her, confident that she wouldn’t be any trouble to him and his men. Then, Aiko slaughtering the lot of them, tearing them to ribbons—cutting off Atsushi’s head...

    “Have you ever manipulated the people of Konoha?”

    The only images that revived themselves from the depths of Aiko’s subconscious were those of instances she lied to her family to get away, or to protect herself. Instances when she fabricated stories just to sate the bloodlust she knew her family always had towards her. They didn’t always need to know the truth. And what they didn’t know they couldn’t use against Aiko. 

    Carefully, the ANBU broke the link and pulled away. The red head felt her senses crash back into her and she sneezed at the powerful odor of the smoke from the campfire. 

    The ANBU Wolf said nothing as she lead the leader away and spoke with him privately. 

    Aiko hoped it was enough.


	17. Out of the Frying Pan...

    “If you could read my mind, why didn’t you before?” Aiko asked accusingly to the ANBU leader. She felt angry, and relieved—but mostly angry. “All your talk about how you couldn’t trust me, how you couldn’t know the truth—”

    “I never said we _couldn’t_ know the truth, just that we _didn’t_ know the truth,” The leader corrected her. “As for why we didn’t do this sooner,” he crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head slightly, “I recall that we barely had you restrained and there was a dangerous, rogue Uchiha hot on our heels. That doesn’t really allot for any interrogation time, I’m afraid.” 

    Aiko was really getting fed up with his bad humor, she didn’t need it when everything around her felt so constrained and dire. “You could have just said so and we would have cooperated!” 

    “Yes, because I could have known that when all the information we had to go on was that you were dangerous—which you still are—and that you were a liar and manipulator.”

    Aiko’s voice caught in her throat as she realized she was being unfair. He was right, she shouldn’t be accusing him; but she needed to direct her frustration somewhere. 

    “You said... _‘were’_?” Aiko finally asked, a little more calm now.

    “From what information our Wolf gathered from you, you’ve been telling the truth. An apology isn’t much, but it’s all I can offer. However,” his voice became more stern, “We still need you to return to Konoha—despite your innocence.”

    “Because of my family?” Aiko muttered bitterly. 

    The masked man nodded, “Abusing a child is a serious offense, let alone the deception they’ve used against the Hokage and the Hidden Leaf itself. I even have a feeling there’s more to it than that though.” 

    “You’ve no idea...” Aiko said passively, “I could tell you stories for days about the family business.”

    “It’ll have to wait. Better to make you only have to tell everything once. So save it for the Hokage.”

    Aiko was quiet as she thought this over. Here was her chance to leave again. These ANBU wanted her to return, but it was worded almost like a request; their posture also told her that they wouldn’t fight her if she chose not to return. It was the opening she needed. She had run away all those years ago, when she was only twelve, and had discovered it to be the best decision she had ever made. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized she didn’t want to go back. 

    She didn’t have to go back. 

    Aiko bit her bottom lip subconsciously as her eyes stared off into space. Was this really what she wanted? She knew Sasuke would come with her no matter her choice, but leaving offered so much more freedom. They could do whatever they wanted! Go wherever they pleased! Nothing would stand in their way as long as they were together. 

    “I’ll go back with you,” Aiko said with finality. The ANBU leader’s shoulders slacked and he seemed to visibly relax. It wasn’t that he was relieved, rather, he just didn’t know quite how to handle such a situation and he was grateful Aiko was being cooperative. 

    The ANBU leader was captain of his squad but the missions they usually undertook were assassinations and reconnaissance, sprinkled with occasional torture when they were left with no other way to gather information. This was the first task they had ever agreed to that dealt with delicate family issues and underhanded politics. Sure, he’d seen similar things in his life, but they had never been his or his team’s problem. The ANBU leader liked his missions to be straightforward and clean cut. No tangled webs of drama. This particular mission, while important and still dangerous, was beginning to feel like everything he hated. They’d captured Aiko, but now all the decision making was out of their hands. The remainder of their mission tethered to Aiko’s whims. The whims of a teenager no less. And now all that remained was to return to Konoha and spend a bunch of time convincing the village that a bunch of rumors weren’t true. 

    Tight lipped and frowning behind his mask, the ANBU leader felt like he was back in his Academy days.

    “Excellent!” He said with forced enthusiasm, “Then get some rest. We move out again once dawn breaks.” And then he left to discuss watch rotations with his team. 

    Aiko was a bundle of nerves now that she finally had a moment to breathe. So much had happened over the last several days, it was a little overwhelming. She killed ten of her family, briefly went back to Konoha to leave Atsushi’s head on her father’s doorstep, then had rested at a hot spring with Sasuke just before getting captured by Hidden Leaf ANBU. 

    She needed a moment to catch up. 

    Aiko laid against the ground next to the fire and stared up at the small patch of sky, dotted with stars like holes poked through a blank blanket, that she could see through the treetops. Those little spots of light seemed so peaceful. Nobody was chasing them, trying to kill them. They didn’t have to worry about anything. 

    They were free to be themselves without anyone judging them. 

    “Well, no going back now,” Sasuke said softly as he lied down next to the red head. 

    “You’ll come with me, right?” Aiko asked. She already knew the answer, but a part of her always doubted that Sasuke would stay by her side. 

    “Always,” He said without any hesitation. 

    Aiko smiled, she couldn’t help it, as she rolled onto her side and laid her head and hand on Sasuke’s chest. He, in turn, held her close with one arm around her and folded his other behind his head. 

    “Don’t worry,” He reassured once more, “You have the ANBU on your side. And the Hokage isn’t stupid, there’s no way anyone will believe those lies.”

    “I hope you’re right,” Aiko whispered, pressing herself into Sasuke’s body and basking in his heat. “But I’m less worried about the rumors and more worried about how to deal with my family. It’s going to be a riot with them when I come back. They’re going to expect everything to be the same, for me to let them treat me like they always have. But...” Aiko sighed, “...I can’t go back to that. I’m not going to let them hurt me anymore.”

    Sasuke smiled proudly, “You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, you know.”

    Aiko smiled too, “But it’s me against my entire clan.”

    “No, it’s _us_ against your entire clan,” Sasuke corrected, “And your family isn’t known for their ninja—they deal in information—“

    “There are assassins among my family... Some of them are very strong...”

    “But not as many as you might be worrying about. And you forget that I trained under Orochimaru, one of the most powerful Sanin in the five nations. I even became stronger than my brother...”

    “And you made me stronger, as result,” Aiko cut in, trying to steer the conversation away from a subject Sasuke was still sore over. 

    Sasuke shook away his dark thoughts at that and kissed the top of Aiko’s head, “We’ll be able to handle your family. Even more so if Konoha is on our side.”

    “Naruto could also help,” Aiko added, remembering her friend that she had left behind. 

    Sasuke groaned at the mention of the blond—though more so because of Naruto’s overenthusiastic and loud personality than any resentment he might have. Sasuke would never admit it out loud, but he liked Naruto. He had always been the best friend Sasuke had ever had aside from Aiko, even though Sasuke never really appreciated it when he was younger. 

    “Yeah,” Sasuke agreed, “that idiot will always have our backs.”


	18. ...Into the Fire

    “Kakashi—you don’t honestly think we would actually cause harm to our own daughter?!” Nanami asked, a pleading in her eyes—but a dark glare hiding behind.

    “I won’t know for certain until the ANBU return with Aiko. What I _do_ know is that several people from the Okumura Clan didn’t have alibis that held up. Their recount of events clashed with others’ which cast shadows over what you and Hitomi were telling me before,” Kakashi, the Hokage, said with a cold voice. It had already been over two weeks since he had sent an ANBU team out of the Hidden Leaf to search for Aiko. While he did have confirmation that they had captured her, he found himself immensely busy dealing with more pressing matters here in Konoha. 

    For one: after investigating and questioning the entire Okumura Clan—discretely—Kakashi had learned that accounts of events he had been told weren’t quite so black and white. Several allegations weren’t even true, either. 

    “Why did you even need to question our family in the first place?” Hitomi, Nanami’s mother, asked with irritation. Her mask was slipping. 

    “Because a small voice in my head told me it would be wise,” Kakashi replied, eyeing Hitomi incredulously. 

    “I thought you believed us!” Hitomi near shouted, “I thought we had your trust and could rely on you! You told us you would help us!””

    “ _I am helping you_ ,” the Hokage reminded them, “But my _first_ and _foremost_ duty is to the people of Konoha as a whole. I won’t disrespect them by blindly following another when I don’t know the whole truth for _myself_. Now,” Kakashi took a deep breath and heaved it out in a long sigh, “I’m not saying the two of you were lying. But as of right now, I can’t follow your instruction completely until I figure out the truth.”

    “And how do you plan on doing that? Secretly interrogating our family again?!”

    “Mother, stop...” Nanami pleaded, realizing the older woman was losing her temper and that that in itself could topple their plans.

    “The only reason I did it discretely last time was so none of the Okumura could have time to fabricate any stories in case the two of you weren’t telling me the truth. That’s how this works. Your family doesn’t get to conjure up whatever tales they please and Konoha will follow them blindly. You are not in control of this village.”

    Hitomi turned away, her face bright red. She wasn’t used to anyone talking to her like that and it was hard to maintain composure when she found it so disrespectful. She was one of the eldest in the Okumura Clan! Nobody ever dared speak to her with such authority!

    “So what’s the plan, then?” Hitomi asked, still facing away but her voice was calm now.

    “I sent a member of the Wolf Division with the ANBU; they will be able to read Aiko’s mind and gather accurate accounts of what is actually true. We’ll go from there once they return, and I will handle the situation accordingly.” 

    Nanami’s eyes widened ever so slightly as she felt a lump form in her throat. She nodded, “Of course,” she said, “thank you, Kakashi.” Then she turned and grabbed her mother’s arm gently as the two of them left the room quickly.

    As they made their way back towards the Okumura compound, Nanami and Hitomi both felt panic rise within them. This was getting out of hand. They were losing control over the situation. The truth from Aiko would reveal them all to be horrible people, which would cause hellacious problems with Konoha, which would no doubt spurn further investigation. Everything the Okumura had built—dealings in black markets, assassinations, blackmail, torture—it would all come into the light. Revealing any aspect of what the Okumura family dealt in would cause their entire business foundation to crumble. Their contacts would hear about them being found out and would no longer use their services; they would appear unreliable. 

    “Calm yourself, dear,” Hitomi said darkly. Nanami snapped out of her daze, not realizing she was on the verge of hyperventilating. 

    “What are we going to do?!” Nanami whispered harshly, “This could ruin us! I knew I shouldn’t have let Karasu make this decision! We never should have asked for outside help!” 

    “Hush!” Hitomi warned as they walked past a few cheery folks that were enjoying their day out in Konoha’s sunny weather. 

    Entering into the Okumura compound offered some relief for the two women. Here, they were safe from prying eyes and eavesdropping. But the stress and panic didn’t leave. They needed to think of something quickly, before the ANBU returned with Aiko. 

    “You two look like you’ve seen a ghost,” a young man said. Hitomi shot a dagger glare at him, caring not as she realized it was her nephew. He immediately held up his hands and backed away. His aunt was obviously in a foul mood and he didn’t want to deal with her wrath. 

    “Karasu,” Hitomi said, entering into the man’s office room without so much as knocking. Inside, she found her son-in-law and another woman. They were just talking, as far as anyone could tell. The older man sat behind his brooding desk while the woman sat in a chair that was turned slightly on the opposite side. She was leaning onto the desk almost suggestively; an elbow resting on the wood while she rested her chin on the back of her hand. Her attire was formal with a long, fitting skirt, but her tucked in blouse had just one too many buttons undone on the top and her cleavage showed through provocatively. 

    The two stopped conversing at Hitomi’s rather unceremonious entrance, but neither seemed really bothered. The woman even had a playful smile on her face, clearly she had just been laughing, but her eyes were half-lidded. Whatever she had been laughing at, it was of a more suggestive nature. 

    Nanami stared on but didn’t care. She was used to this sort of thing with her husband. It wasn’t like they were married for love anyway. And she knew Karasu wouldn’t resort to seduction or affairs unless he got something out of it. Which meant that Nanami got something out of it. So it was beneficial. 

    “Lark with your whores later, we have something important to discuss and there isn’t much time,” Hitomi said sharply, waving the woman out and forgetting about her as soon as she was gone. 

    Karasu sighed in annoyance and leaned back in his chair, elbow propped on the arm as he passively rubbed his thumb against the side of his index finger, “What is it?”

    It was Nanami who ended up explaining everything, an edge in her voice. At first, Karasu seemed disinterested, but when it was explained to him that they were losing the support of Konohagakure and the Hokage, he sat up straighter in his chair. Aiko could be returning any day now, and with the aid of the Wolf ANBU, everything the Okumura knew of could shatter. 

    “Do we have any idea how far off she is?” Karasu asked. He too was worried but he kept it from his voice. 

    “No,” Hitomi admitted. 

    Karasu cursed under his breath, “Then we should send some of our own to intercept them, disguised. They can’t know they’re ours.”

    “Aiko would alert the ANBU as soon as she saw their faces!” Nanami interjected, as if baffled that her husband would even suggest such a thing.

    “We’ll send our _best_ ,” Karasu hissed at her, “It won’t matter as long as they all end up dead.”

    “You really think that _our best_ could possibly stand up to Aiko, and seven ANBU?! Do you remember what she did to Atsushi?”

    “Atsushi was disposable, and an idiot. If anything, Aiko saved me the headache of having to kill him myself. “

    “Then what do you propose?!—“

    A sharp knock rapt on the door jamb, “Um... sir...?” A nervous voice called out. Karasu was silent a moment before he shot a dangerous, murderous look at the small, teenage boy that stood behind his wife and mother-in-law, half-hidden behind the doorframe.

    “What is it?”

    The boy gulped, afraid of having to speak to the Okumura leader, “The ANBU have returned with Aiko. Their coming through the main gate as we speak.” Then he ran off, knowing all too well the fury all three of the people in the room could direct at him. 

    Nanami turned her head slowly to look at her mother, then back at her husband. Her eyes were wide and horrified—and furious. They had had less time than any of them could have thought. 

    They were ruined.


	19. Faux Pas

    “Please don’t,” Aiko said with an exasperated sigh, “I can handle them, trust me. Getting all of Konoha involved would be like starting a civil war. And my family doesn’t know how not to play dirty, everything would get out of hand so quickly.”

    “I don’t doubt you know what you’re talking about,” Kakashi started, sitting behind his desk in the Hokage office, “but this is serious.” He dropped the papers from his hands that held a written account of the memories the Wolf ANBU had extracted from Aiko—though Kakashi had also had a verbal recounting of events when the special ops team had reported to him. “And you’re telling me it even goes deeper than this...” He took off his Hokage hat and ran one of his hands through his spiked, silver hair. 

    The ANBU leader had been right, it was good that Aiko had waited to say all of this. It spared her having to tell it all twice. “Yes, but what I’m trying to _really_ tell you is that you _need_ to let me handle this myself. I’m sure they already know I’m here, which is already going to put them on the defensive. You have no idea what you would be walking into if you tried to confront them. I’m sure they’ve already placed Konoha on their blacklist and realize the shit their in right now. Your job is to take care of and protect Konoha, Kakashi. The _best_ way for you to do that is to let me deal with my family alone. If I need help, I’ll come to you, and you can step in then.”

    The Hokage sighed, “I guess I don’t really have a choice.” 

    Aiko smiled, “I’m stronger than I look, you know.”

    Kakashi grinned back through his mask, “I don’t doubt that.” He then sat up straighter in his chair and put his Hokage hat back on, “As for you though, Sasuke, there are some things we need to discuss.” 

    The Uchiha held back from rolling his eyes, “I’m sure...”

    “Alright then,” Kakashi waived a hand of dismissal in faux seriousness, “I wish you luck dealing with your family, Aiko, but don’t think I’m not going to keep my eye on the situation.”

    Aiko let out a short hum and smiled, bowing quickly and then leaving. She needed to handle this quickly, get the upper hand over her family before they had the chance to organize anything or plan too much. 

    Keeping a subconscious grip on her fan that was strapped to her back, which had been returned to her the next morning after her ANBU questioning, Aiko made her way towards the Okumura compound. It was just as stone and just as cold looking as she remembered it. The tall, circling wall that wrapped its way around her family homes was just as menacing looking—like a large, stone giant that glared down at anyone who walked by. And there at the back, even visible over the wall, sat the painfully sharp and cruel Temple she knew so well. It seemed to beckon her mockingly, as if laughing at her return. She looked away from it as she entered through the Okumura main gate, and shoved back the memories it conjured. 

    Immediately, several people began running towards her, but Aiko was prepared. She quickly and skillfully unstrapped her fan, opened it, and swung. A painless but strong gust erupted, sending her attempted assailants flying backwards unharmed. They spat curses at her but stopped when she shot them all dangerous glares as she passed by. The look in her blue eyes, such a strong boldness, frightened them terribly—but also held them in awe. the Okumura valued such strength over others, an upper hand where it would count most. To them, and those who watched, Aiko was proving herself worthy. Worthy to follow. Worthy to lead the family.

    She was not what they remembered. 

    Aiko carried herself confidently. It came as a shock to her the level of ease with which she dispatched anyone who got in her way. Had she really become so strong? She dwelled on this thought as she moved quickly through the Okumura main house, heading to where she knew her mother and father would be. 

    They were always in Karasu’s office. Always planning, always scheming. It was where blood ebbed and flowed through ink on papers; signed and sealed death writs for targets. It was where Karasu dirtied his hands and bruised his knuckles. She hated that room. It held nothing but bad memories for her—and for many others, she was sure. 

    Despite the lack of challenge from her family members, Aiko knew not to let her guard down. They wouldn’t play fair, and as they now knew that a frontal assault to her wouldn’t work, she mused that they now planned to attack from shadows. She needed to stay alert. 

    The door to her father’s office was open as she entered and it came as no shock when she found her parents—and even her grandmother—inside. Their faces were flushed, as if they had just spent the last few moments screaming at each other in a rage. Even so, they maintained the perfect images of composure.

    They wouldn’t back down from her.

    “Aiko, dear, you’ve returned,” Nanami spoke softly and gracefully. Her voice was just as melodic as the red head remembered it. Just as poisonous. 

    “Was that so hard?” Karasu asked coldly, “Returning voluntarily? All this violence could have been avoided.”

    Aiko scoffed and raised an eyebrow, her father was the same as ever. Same frigid personality, same grey kimono with silver trim. “As if any of you really gave me a choice.”

    “We always have a choice,” Hitomi hissed as she narrowed her eyes, “You just chose to _care_. As we knew you would. _Such weakness._ ” Aiko looked at her grandmother. She didn’t remember much of the old woman, who made a point to never give Aiko the time of day when she was younger—unless it was to teach her a lesson. Even so, Aiko felt a danger when looking into her elder’s eyes. Those wrinkly, dark eyes held secrets that she would take to her grave. But somehow, even looking at these three people who had caused her the most pain, Aiko felt she had grown past them. All the way down to Aiko’s core, she could tell that even her own chakra was now no match for anyone here. She was stronger. _Much stronger_.

    “No games then,” Nanami folded her hands in front of her, “Where do you expect this to go, Aiko? Everything we did—have done—was for the betterment of the family! Whatever grandiose you think you’re playing at here will only shatter what we have worked so hard to build, so that our successors could all have better lives than we did. Do you think to murder us and change the dynamic of our clan? You would hurt many Okumura children—“

    “As you hurt me?!” Aiko interrupted, “As you hurt them already?! I was young and naive once, but I was not blind to the cruelty you showed anyone you deemed beneath you.” Her passive grip on her fan tightened in her anger, “You praise those who followed your rules, who allowed you to shape them into your own instruments of change. Your _golden children_ ; your _family prodigies_. But when any of us veered from your own designated path—strayed from what you rule as the values of the entire family—you sneer and berated and tore down _all of us!”_ Aiko was angry, justifiably so, but it didn’t stop her from noticing the movement behind her and quickly ramming the butt of her fan—which was closed at the moment—into the person who tried to grab at her unseen. 

    A man fell away to the floor at the red head’s side, coughing and sputtering out blood as he clutched at his stomach. When Aiko returned her attention to her parents and grandmother, they all stared at her, startled. They were making the same mistake that Atsushi had made. They were seeing her as weak, just the same child she had been when she had run away. They didn’t understand her power, despite knowing of it. She had delivered them Atsushi’s head but in the backs of their minds they played it off as her having help. She was just grandstanding. She couldn’t _actually_ challenge them. 

    “ _You think I’m playing games?”_ Aiko asked calmly and slowly, her voice dripping with danger as she dropped her fan into a vertical stand onto the body of her attacker. She leaned onto the end with her elbow resting on the top of her weapon. The man grunted in pain at the sudden force of pressure but didn’t have the strength to move her. “The only ones pretending at any faux grandiose here are all of you.” Aiko barked out a laugh, “Not that I’m surprised.” 

    Hitomi’s face was the color of a tomato in that moment. The short, elderly woman balled her fists and her brows furrowed to the point of almost connecting, “How _dare_ you speak to your betters in such—“

    “YOU ARE NOT MY BETTERS!” Aiko shouted, easily kicking her fan up in a vertical arc, keeping it closed, and cracking it on her grandmother’s head all in one swoop. No one had seen it coming, nor expected the assault, which left Hitomi crying out in pain as she clutched at her head of grey hair. Aiko cradled her weapon now, one hand gripping the bottom and the other cupping the top, “It appears none of you understand my reason for returning, so I’ll speak plainly: This family will no longer run under your guidance and authority. As of right now, I am forcibly taking over and assuming my role as High Priestess—with or _without_ your blessing, father.” Aiko spoke with such command that no one in the room was able to find their voice. 

    But they stared at her with quiet, dripping rage.

    Nanami took a shaky, hesitant step towards her daughter, “You can’t—!”

    Aiko shot her a look that drained the color from her mother’s face and stopped her from coming any closer, “Watch me.”


	20. Champion

    Nanami spent only a short moment in her shock before recovering. Once the color had returned to her features, a smile even crept its way across her face. It was coy and knowing—a thought in her mind had put her at ease. 

    “You say you plan on taking over the family, forcibly assuming your position as High Priestess,” Nanami started, her golden eyes locked with Aiko’s blues, “but this family does not followed blindly—the Okumura do not chase hazards. Go and declare your news, but you’ll find that none will stand beside you.”

    Aiko was startled, but not for the reason her mother assumed, “You... How stupid do you think I am?”

    “Well you clearly didn’t think this through all the way—“

    “Says who?” Aiko removed her weapon that she still had pressed into the man who continued to groan on the ground and slung it over her shoulder once more, “Do you think that I spent all of my time here with my ears and eyes closed? I know more about the ins and outs of this family than anyone here. I know of secrets so many of you even keep from each other.” Aiko smirked at that, “I was quiet, mother, but I _learned_ much.” 

    While not visibly, Nanami was shaken. If what her daughter said was true, then Aiko was even more dangerous. There were many things that she and Karasu kept from the rest of the clan as a way to garner secret power over the others and line their own pockets with greater wealth. There was even an alliance that would shatter their good will with the Hidden Leaf and call for the entire family’s execution should it become known...

    Aiko read her mother’s face like a book, “Yes, I even know about _that_ ; your affiliation with—“

    “Enough!” Nanami shouted, her face panicked but red with her anger. “You talk big for someone with little influence, Aiko. I will stand for such disrespect no longer!” 

    However, beside Nanami, Hitomi’s face was a mask of confusion. Her granddaughter’s words rang no bells for the elderly woman, she had no idea what those last words meant. An affiliation? With who? Nanami had never kept secrets from her before. “What is she going on about—“ 

    “Not now, mother!” Nanami interrupted in agitation. “Karasu—“

    “Yes, I know,” the older man stood up behind his desk, his expression blank. 

    At Aiko’s feet, the man she had assaulted began to stir. He thought he was being cautious as he inched towards her but Aiko saw it. He stopped as soon as she rammed the toe of her shoe into his gut once more. Newfound pain flared were the old had died and he screamed obscenities at the red head. “Not so fast,” Aiko said with a sly grin to her father, “we Okumura have rules.” She looked at her mother and grandmother before her eyes met with the chrome gaze of her father. “I challenge you, officially.”

    The older man halted his movement, eyes narrowing as he looked at his daughter. She couldn’t be serious? These sort of things were just formalities—an age old tradition that hadn’t been put into practice in over a century. “You... challenge me?” He repeated.

    “To the death,” Aiko added with defiance.

    Karasu thought on this a moment. It was idealistic on either side. Aiko wanted to take over the family and Karasu wanted his daughter dead—this would be the quickest route for them both. But a voice nagged at the older man, and he soon realized it was his wife. 

    “You can’t seriously be considering this!” Nanami yelled at him, “The risk is too great!”

    “Send a champion in your stead, then,” Hitomi interjected. “If we’re bringing up those old texts then we might as well make use of their ancient guidelines.”

    “I’ll give you ten minutes to make up your mind before I start doing this the hard way,” Aiko interrupted, expression stoic as she left the room swiftly. She would wait for her opponent out in the courtyard. It didn’t matter who she fought, she just needed the entire Okumura Clan to _see_. They just needed to witness how strong she was to follow her. That was how her family worked. 

    Strength over weakness.

    Whoever she was going to fight, as long as she won, it didn’t matter. 

    

    Aiko breathed in the fresh, outside air deeply. her heart was racing and she felt the adrenaline coursing through her. She hadn’t planned on everything turning out like this, she hadn’t even wanted to come back, but somehow it felt good to be facing her demons. Aiko had run away from them for so long that it almost felt surreal to be here in her childhood home once more. No—her childhood prison. 

    Holding her weapon ready, standing vertically on the ground, shut, as she gripped the top, Aiko watched as members of her clan poured out of their homes. They began creating an enclosure around the red head, waiting, watching to see what she would do next. Many of them glared daggers at her; many of them couldn’t look at her at all, frightened of the wrath they had seen her bring down on the others. But mostly, they all radiated with abundant eagerness. It had been a long time since there were any meaningful power struggles within the family. And it had been over a century since anyone had challenged the head of the house. There were only a handful of elders who remembered the last coup. It had ended with failure and the death of the challenger. No one had been brave enough to attempt such a move since. Especially when Karasu was so much more merciless and unforgiving than his predecessor. 

    Aiko heard murmurs as a figure emerged to confront her from the crowd. As she expected, it was not her father. He had sent another in his stead. _‘Coward,’_ she thought to herself. 

    There was no further time to think as the man charged at her. She didn’t recognize his face but when someone shouted “Kill her, Eiji!” she knew of his name. He was the son of one of her aunts: a skilled fighter. He was also known for his exceptional genjutsu. He had a natural gift, and her family put him to use. He was younger than Aiko, fifteen now after all these years, but he was one of the Okumura’s best hallucination torturers. Eiji had a perfect success rate for getting the information he wanted, and all it took was his opponent letting their guard down. He just needed a crack to slip into one’s mind. His prey just needed to falter a little bit. Aiko had heard of his methods from her family before she had run away. He used memories and loved ones against his victim. If he could get them riled up, play with their emotions, make them believe in something untrue, then he was in. It was the only foothold Eiji needed. 

    Aiko needed to keep calm. 

    She dodged Eiji’s first series of attacks with ease, not even having to use her fan. But Aiko recognized it for what it was, a ploy. He was playing with her, this wasn’t Eiji’s full strength. He threw kunai, shuriken, even fumbled through some hand signs to throw earth at her, but it was basic. It was irritating. Aiko didn’t have time to play games, she didn’t have time to wast on something like this. 

    Aiko opened her fan, holding the end as she jumped out of the way as a spike of rock stabbed upward through the ground beneath her. She swung her weapon easily and watched as Eiji tumbled away. Then she readied herself once more as she landed on her feet. Her next move would be to kill. 

    Eiji recovered quickly as he began going though a series of handsigns Aiko recognized. “Poor, Aiko,” he said from several paces away. Then he disappeared as the ground swallowed him whole. 

    Aiko grit her teeth, “So that’s how it’s going to be.” 

    “Come now, Aiko,” a lazy voice echoed around her, “is this any way to welcome your family?” 

    Aiko twisted around only to realize she was alone. Everyone was gone. There were no onlookers, no buildings, no trees—and the sky was dark. She cursed at herself, she had slipped up. ”Show yourself, Eiji!” She shouted, but only a dark laugh wrapped around her in response. 

    “I can really see what Aunt Nanami meant about you, especially with you so vulnerable like this. _Pathetic!_ ”

    A kunai shot out from no where, seemingly appearing at Aiko’s side, and embedded itself in Aiko’s shoulder. She didn’t have any time to react. Another came at her. Then another. Aiko crossed her arms in front of her as shuriken and kunai both cut into her skin relentlessly. She bled onto the barren ground and cried out at the horror of it. Her arms looked like pincushions and her legs fared no better by the time the barrage stopped. 

    “I hear Konoha sent their ANBU after you to bring you back,” Eiji’s voice was slow, almost distorted, echoing around Aiko somehow even with nothing around for the sound to bounce off of, “How cruel of them to so easily be fooled by our lies and cast you in criminal light. It sounds like they’ve never really been your friends. Never really _cared_ about you if it was so easy for them to turn on you.”

    “Shut up!” Aiko screamed.

    “And you ran away because of a boy,” Eiji continued, amused, “yet he’s not here with you.” 

    Aiko then felt a breeze snake around her as if it was alive. It coiled up her body and nearly choked her as it passed over her face, stealing the air from her lungs. 

    “He must not care about you much either.”

    Aiko coughed as she sucked in a sharp breath, “I SAID SHUT UP!” She lifted her arm that held her weapon but stopped when she noticed her hand was empty. Both were. Her fan was gone. 

    “How... _a l o n e_... you must feel. _”_ Eiji cooed. His voice was like a loud whisper, caressing Aiko with an icy touch. 

     She went to pull the shuriken and kunai from her arms but found them bare and her wounds gone. She began shaking. The pain she was experiencing felt so real yet none of it was happening. Aiko laughed at the insanity of it, but she felt as though the sound of her own voice was so far away, as if she wasn’t even in her own body. “Well,” she began when she had regained her composure, “at least I was always important to this family. Even if everyone hated me, I always got their attention.” She grinned, “I hear you were forgotten often, Eiji. The clan only ever comes to you when they need your talents for work. And—“ she spread her arms outside as she spun around, “—isn’t that what this is?! A work call?! If you manage to kill me, they just cast you aside once more. Forgotten. A waste of their precious time. You’re not even worth their passing glances!”

    “BE QUIET!” Aiko’s surroundings shook with the force of Eiji’s rage and large rocks began falling from the sky as if some stone ceiling was crumbling. She dodged the debris as best she could but was eventually pinned down as a heavy piece crushed her leg. She screamed.

    But then stopped.

    The more she concentrated on her knowing this wasn’t real, the more she recognized that her body didn’t actually hurt. She was immobile, there was nothing she could do about it, but her body was fine. And then she remembered something Shikamaru had done once during the Chunin Exams. He had been in a similar situation, hadn’t he? With a ninja from the Hidden Sound? Aiko smiled with realization as she remembered. She needed real pain. 

    It took only a breath of a moment. 

    Aiko forced her thoughts away, she didn’t want to jinx herself out of it, and then... she broke her ring finger. It had taken all of her strength to override the signals her brain poured out in protest. It had been her looking away that had finally given her that last push. This time, the pain was very real, but it achieved what the red head had wanted.     

    The genjutsu was broken. 

    Aiko’s surroundings returned to normal—with the Okumura still gathered around—and she stared in front of her to see a startled Eiji. “Now,” Aiko began, picking up her fan with her good hand that had been lying on the ground, “I think it’s time we finish this.”

    Eiji stood defiantly in front of Aiko, a few paces away. He wouldn’t be frightened off by her threats. There was nothing she could do to really hurt him. He had felt the power of her fan and it hadn’t even left a scratch on him. No, this fight leaned heavily in his favor. He would be the victor!

    “Do be so cocky!” Eiji shouted as he kicked off and began running towards Aiko. There was little space separating them but Aiko only needed a moment—it would all be over before anyone blinked. 

    Holding her fan, open, and pointing at the ground, Aiko saw Eiji kick up dirt behind him in slow motion. She didn’t have time to raise her fan for the Tempest, but she did have time for a different move. 

    Swinging her weapon aslant upwards towards the sky, Aiko put all her strength into the motion. Eiji witnesses as the air between them began to distort with the force of it, as if he was staring into a clear pool of water and something now disturbed the surface. But he had no time to retreat or counter—he had let himself get too close. 

    A gust of wind erupted, carving forward into Eiji as it shredded into him and tore off one of his arms. Though, the move was not as volatile as the Tempest, and Eiji’s body—while carved up—remained relatively intact. Everyone behind the teenage boy moved out of the way quickly. They had more time to react, which saved their lives, but the home that they stood in front of had its front facing wall explode into a rain of wooden shards.

    As the wood fell, so too did Eiji as he sputtered and bled onto the ground. Then his last breath escaped him and he was dead. Aiko turned her head as she searched the crowd for her parents. Everyone was in awe of her. Some still had anger in their eyes, but most of them looked on appraisingly. 

    Then she saw them. 

    The panic in her mother’s, grandmother’s, and even her father’s eyes now consumed them. They stared at Aiko in terror as Nanami said something quietly to her husband and mother. The nodded at whatever had been said and then Nanami and Karasu both ran in the opposite direction. 

    Aiko ‘tsk’ed’ and charged after them. 

    She wouldn’t let them get away.


	21. Closed Hearts

    Aiko knew immediately that she was on her own. The Okumura compound resided outside of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, sitting on the outskirts of their boundaries, and she didn’t have time to run and tell anyone what was happening. Right now, she had to focus all of her energy and attention into running her parents down. She couldn’t let them escape. Already, they were about to cross the threshold of the Okumura main gate, she couldn’t lose them out in the forest; she needed to stay hot on their heels. 

    Nanami laughed over her shoulder, “You’re going to follow us?!” Though, it was more a statement than a question; they knew Aiko didn’t have a choice. “You’re going to leave your grandmother alone with the clan while she turns them against you once more?! All your grandstanding, all your shows of power—it’ll have amounted to nothing!” 

    Aiko grit her teeth but didn’t respond. She recognized the truth in her mother’s words. Even if she was able to capture her parents—kill them if they wouldn’t surrender—she would return only to find all of the work she had built from her initial entrance and the duel crumbling. Hitomi was a conniving, intelligent, old woman—she would find a way to spin all of this against Aiko and shatter any support the red head might have gathered already from the family. She would be hated once more.

    Right now, none of that mattered. Aiko could return immediately, let her parents escape, but the result would be the same. She needed her parents’ surrender, or their corpses, to prove to her family that her challenge to the succession was sincere. Letting Nanami and Karasu get away would only paint Aiko as weak—as _unworthy—_ and would dissolve her support just as easily. She would just have to fix whatever damage her grandmother did when she got back. 

    All she had to do was catch up.

    The three of them passed through the Okumura entrance and out into the green of the forest edge. Aiko barely registered the voice shouting after her or the figure that had been making it’s way into the compound. 

    “Aiko! Where are you going?!” 

    Whoever it was, the red head didn’t have time to stop. Didn’t even have time to look over her shoulder. Her parents enjoyed life at the top, often sat behind a desk, but that didn’t mean they weren’t skilled ninja themselves—to some degree. If she gave them even an inch, they would get away. They would use some trick to disappear.

    “Hey! What’s going on?!” The voice was close now, the person who called to her was sprinting at her side, just a little behind her. She recognized that overenthusiastic tone, however. 

    “Not now, Naruto!” She shouted, though she never once broke eye contact with the two figures in front of her that were trying desperately to get away. 

    “Aren’t those... your parents?”

    “I don’t have time to explain!” But then a thought occurred to the Okumura girl and a sly grin crept over her face. “Naruto, catch up to me, quickly!” A plan was half formed in her mind. If it worked, then she wouldn’t have to worry about anything back home.

    The blond boy didn’t understand what was going on, but he needed no further prompting. Kicking harder in his sprint and grunting as he pushed forward with all the momentum he could muster, he managed to just barely creep up to Aiko’s side as he matched her pace. 

    Before he could ask anymore questions, however, she went off. “I need you to do something important for me,” Aiko began, speaking as softly as she could so Naruto could hear her but not her parents up ahead. Swiftly, she recounted everything that had happened up until now, leaving out a few gruesome details that weren’t relevant. She instructed Naruto to run this information back to the Hokage, to tell Kakashi to take hold of the situation back at the compound before her grandmother spiraled everything out of control. Then her tone became grim as she thought on the next bit that she wasn’t sure whether she should say or not. 

    “And, Naruto... Sasuke should still be with the Hokage. Tell him...” she paused. No one in Konoha knew of her family’s dark alliance, not even most of the clan, it would be a risk to even speak of it to someone she considered one of her closest friends. Though, Sasuke was probably telling Kakashi that he had killed the Snake Sannin at this very moment. So, did it really matter anymore? “Tell him that my parents are most likely headed to Orochimaru.” 

    The blond was startled, “WHAT?!”

    “Please!” Aiko begged, she didn’t have time to answer all of the questions she knew were spinning like a torrent in Naruto’s mind. “Tell him to follow me! I can’t do this alone if my parents get that far. Orochimaru still has followers, even if he’s...” She was going down rabbit trails—she needed to focus. “JUST GO!”

    Naruto nodded, though his face showed his confusion as he slowed and quickly dropped behind Aiko as he began running back in the opposite direction. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she listened to the Uzumaki’s footsteps fade away into nothing. 

    “Still associating with that cretin, I see,” Nanami hissed over her shoulder, “what good do you think that monster will be able to do? You’re already finished, Aiko!” 

    “I don’t think so,” Aiko called back, dodging a kunai her father absently threw over his shoulder to slow her down. “You’re headed towards Orochimaru, right?”

    Nanami shot a sharp glance behind her, eyeing her daughter suspiciously, but Aiko only grinned back. The advantage was on her side, her parents didn’t know that the Snake was dead. He couldn’t come to their aid, offer them sanctuary. Not that he would anyway. If Nanami and Karasu barged in like they were planning on doing, interrupting anything Orochimaru might have been working on—well, Aiko almost wished the old man was still alive. He might have killed her parents just as readily.

    That was wishful thinking, though. Aiko didn’t know the entirety of the depths the relationship Nanami and Karasu had with the Snake Sannin even went. Perhaps he _would have_ aided them. Perhaps he would have killed her instead. 

    Either way, it was best he was gone now. 

    “You think you know all our secrets, girl?!” Nanami’s voice dripped with venom, “You don’t understand anything!”

    “I understand that your plan is futile,” Aiko spat back, “Orochimaru is dead! Sasuke Uchiha killed him years ago. Have you been living under a rock? No one’s come to tell you of this?”

    It was Karasu who looked back this time, his silver eyes still cold in their stare, “You lie.”

    “What benefit do I gain from telling you such information?”

    “Throwing us off our guard, perhaps?” Nanami interjected, as if she saw right through her daughter’s ploy.

    Aiko laughed, “You’re not so skilled that I need to resort to such tricks!” She reached for her fan but then stopped; she would have to stand still to swing her weapon with any amount of strength, and if she missed, Nanami and Karasu would get away. 

    The risk was too great. 

    Cursing under her breath, Aiko moved her hand away and towards her ninja pouch. She just needed to land a few hits and it would slow her parents down enough that she could catch up. 

    She pulled out three kunai and two shuriken and nearly shouted her annoyance. Aiko hadn’t had time to restock her pouch with tools since they had left the hot spring village. She and Sasuke had been on the road constantly since then, not stopping anywhere else—hunting in the wilderness—and had then run into the ANBU. At the time, Aiko hadn’t thought to ask if they had any spares, and she had had no time even when she returned to Konoha. Speaking to the Hokage and then immediately going after her family had been at the forefront of her mind. Chasing her parents into the forest was an unexpected detour, and it left Aiko unprepared and only equipped with an abundance of bandages and salves—which she didn’t need right now—and only this small handful of small weapons. She cursed again, wishing she had Sasuke’s skill with his shuriken jutsu. She could attach wire to the small blades, but she wasn’t practiced at it. It would likely slow her down even more. 

    “What’s the matter, dear daughter?” Nanami asked after the small moment of silence passed, a malicious smile on her lips that Aiko couldn’t see while her mother stared forward. “For all your boasting, you’re not putting in much effort to stop us!”

    One of Aiko’s three remaining kunai whistled past Nanami’s ear as it clipped the top and sliced through several strands of her raven hair. The older woman’s eyes widened as she reached up and touched the fresh cut, looking sharply over her shoulder. Her golden eyes narrowed and her brows furrowed deeply, “FILTHY, UNGRATEFUL BRAT!” She screamed hysterically before her and Karasu pressed their heels more firmly into the ground and increased their speed. They didn’t look back after that, or say anything more. 

    This was no longer some game to the two Okumura heads. They saw the seriousness in their daughter’s eyes, saw the red hatred that masked over those blues until it turned them purple, and they felt the weight of reality. None of them could turn back. Death was the only way to make it end. 

 

    Either hers.

 

    Or theirs.


	22. Harbinger

    Frantically, Aiko searched her surroundings. Nanami and Karasu couldn’t have gotten far. The sun was setting, already hidden below the treetops, and it was becoming hard to see. The warm yellow glow of the dying day offered little to Aiko’s eyes. Light cast in streaming ribbons hardly pierced through the dense trees, everything was bathed in shadow. 

    She hated herself for letting her parents slip away. She had only torn her eyes from them for a moment, to check if Naruto had followed her instruction and told Sasuke to follow her. The Uchiha was nowhere to be seen, though. But, if all went well, he should at least be catching up soon. At least, she hoped.

    Hours had passed since leaving the Okumura compound. Aiko knew Nanami and Karasu must be tiring—she was feeling the early stages of fatigue as well—so they had to be nearby. They wouldn’t keep running after managing to give her the slip. They would be resting, catching their breath. So it was a game of hide and seek now. Only with much greater consequences. 

    Aiko relied on her acute senses, slowing her breathing and willing her racing heart to still. She tuned out the breeze, ignored the chirping of crickets; all that was ordinary was forgotten as Aiko listened and felt for anything out of place. 

     _There._

     A twig snapped in the distance, echoing off the trees with vague direction, but just as Aiko took a step to move closer, she heard a faint whistling and narrowly dodged a kunai that had been aimed at her head. It thudded sharply into a tree, but then a faint hiss followed. Aiko stared at the weapon only a moment before seeing the spark of the paper bomb and hastily running away, diving behind a trunk just as the explosion went off. 

    Biting her cheek to hold in her cry of pain, Aiko’s knee smarted where she knocked it against one of the trunk’s sprawling, spidering roots. She didn’t have time to think about that though. The paper bomb-kunai was a cheap trick but also a foolish one. Aiko now had a direction. 

    She traced back where the kunai originated from, pinpointing a general arena where her parents might be hiding. They had to still be there, or at least close to it. They could have moved in the confusion but not very far, and any noise they made now would draw Aiko’s attention. 

    The Okumura girl’s mind raced as she thought of her next move. If she could just get a good vantage of the area, she could plan her retaliation. There was no way to do that, though. The terrain was flat; no hills to look down from, nothing that would get her up high without being seen...

    A light went off in Aiko’s mind.

    Turning around, focusing her chakra across her shins and the palms of her hands, Aiko began climbing the tree she hid behind. She went as fast as she dared, making as little sound as possible, eyeing her surroundings for any signs of danger. 

    The sun was gone completely now and darkness consumed the forest. Aiko needed to act quickly. Her senses told her that her parents were still nearby, but any moment now they could chose to slip away instead of confronting their daughter and evade capture. 

    Time wasn’t on Aiko’s side. 

    Stopping halfway up the tree, hiding within the leaves that encased a thick branch, Aiko’s eyes became searchlights. Any movement now, even the slightest of motion, she would see. She might not have Sharingan like Sasuke, or Byakugan like the Hyugas, but Aiko had trained herself to have keen senses—and her sight was as good as any normal form of vision could be. 

     _There._

    It was ever so slight, just the brushing of a few leaves, but Aiko caught a glimpse of her father’s grey kimono as it slipped back behind cover. Then, a moment later, close to the same spot, a flash of red and a shimmer of gold from her mother. Aiko wanted to laugh, how disadvantageous Nanami’s and Karasu’s excessive style had become. What once had swathed her parents in beauty and elegance now would prove to be the harbinger of their downfall. How ironic to be betrayed by the very material things they coveted. 

    With the aid of chakra, Aiko put to use her long practiced ability to cross short distances in the blink of an eye. It was a jutsu she had seen many ninja perform, often coupled with substitution to get away from an attacker. But she just needed it to get closer. 

    Her landing had been silent as she appeared behind the two crouched figures of her parents, their silver and golden eyes scanning for their daughter. Her presence behind them alerted some sixth sense, however, and their heads turned just as Aiko unstrapped her fan. 

    They meant to jump into the trees and sprint away, but Aiko swung out her weapon to open it and slammed it down much too quickly. The muscles in her arms screamed in protest at such a hasty maneuver, clenching as she put all her strength behind the attack with no moment to prepare for the swing. Nanami and Karasu were caught in the storm of violent, turbulent air that erupted. It hadn’t been enough to evoke any of Aiko’s more dangerous attacks, but it was enough to get the gale twisting with a few sharp edges. Like two, large, formless blades tumbling, Karasu and Nanami suffered several deep gashes and cuts on their bodies and limbs as they were thrown backwards into a large tree. Karasu was the first to recover as he unsheathed his thin sword from his hip and sprung towards his daughter. Aiko had never seen her father without that cruel blade; not once did his weapon ever leave his side. Often, members of their clan used to jibe that he loved his sword more than his wife. If only they knew how true their words were. 

    There was a breath of space between Aiko and her parents as she watched her father kick off his first step—but it was just enough. Aiko swung her fan up and kicked off her own feet. She pushed herself backwards with all her might to give her just a little bit more time as she put all of her strength and weight behind her next attack. 

    It was just like that time up on that mountain: the air was eerily still as Aiko stopped her fan’s motion just a hair’s width before it crashed into the ground after her swing. The Tempest she had so carefully created screamed in its birth as it fought against the stillness of the night. Twisting and turning with violent abandon, the gale carved into the ground and shot forward all within the blink of an eye. Karasu’s momentum prevented him from having enough time to get out of the way and Nanami, behind him, was too disoriented from hitting her head after Aiko’s last attack to save herself either. 

    They were torn asunder. 

    Just as Aiko had watched Jun and those ninja around him shred into ribbons mixed with red rain, she now watched her parents’ same fate. The Tempest ripped them to pieces, dropping their torn flesh to the ground in wet plops as the storm died away the further it went. Trees and foliage were ripped and pulled from their resting places in the process. A thick line of fifty feet now laid bare to the moon that glared down in their absence. Aiko was bathed in the soft, white light that poured in from the hole in the forest. 

    Then the bodily remains disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

    In their place, two logs appeared, shattering into millions of pieces. Aiko stared at them only a second before realizing it was substitution. Behind her, leaves rustled frantically as the red head turned around to see Nanami and Karasu running away. They were limping badly, their bodies a bloody mess with torn clothes. Aiko didn’t think as she ran after them. 

    Thirty meters of distance yawned between the older couple and their daughter, but Aiko was faster—uninjured. She was gaining. They wouldn’t get away any more. Their luck had run out. Nanami and Karasu panted heavily as they ran for their lives, hobbling against the pain. They halted, however, as they came face to face with the figure of Sasuke Uchiha. A new obstacle in their plans for escape. 

    Immediately, Nanami spoke in hysterics, “Sasuke! Help us, please! Our daughter is trying to murder us! She’s gone insane!” Words spilled out of the older woman like a flood, but Sasuke was more focused on Karasu as he was lunging forward, holding his sword in both hands as he aimed the tip for the younger man’s heart. The attack was feeble, Sasuke easily deflected it as he plunged his own blade into the man’s gut. Karasu’s eyes widened as he sputtered, blood trickling from his mouth. He stared at Sasuke in quiet rage as he slipped from the blade and collapsed to the ground. Nanami screamed. 

    “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” She was shaking as she fell to her knees before her husband. Her golden eyes were frantic as insanity consumed her. Aiko was then standing feet away, watching as her mother gripped at the top of Karasu’s red-stained kimono and shook him in vain. 

    “Surrender, mother,” Aiko spoke, “and I will show you mercy.” 

    Dead, golden eyes snapped over to the red head and shook with an all consuming fury, “DO NOT SPEAK TO ME WRETCH.”

    It all happened so fast, Aiko wasn’t sure if she imagined it, but Nanami came at her with Karasu’s discarded blade. The older woman didn’t know how to hold the weapon properly as she thrust it towards her daughter and Aiko easily slapped it out of the way with the flat side of her kunai as she then plunged the small weapon’s tip into Nanami’s heart. 

    Aiko held her mother a moment—one hand holding the kunai in place, pushing it deeper, her other hand wrapped around Nanami’s back, pulling her closer. The older woman’s chin rested on Aiko’s shoulder as her body became weak and started to slump. 

    “I’ve... always... hated you...” Nanami sputtered, spitting blood onto her daughter’s clothes. “There... was... never even... one day... that I loved you...”

    “I know...” Aiko said softly, quietly, as her mother died in her arms. As she loosened her grip, the body fell away from her in its dead weight. Somehow, Nanami’s words hurt more than any of the fighting. 

    Aiko found herself crying, despite being relieved that her parents were now dead. She dropped the bloody kunai from her hand and felt Sasuke’s arms wrap around her. How she had missed such warmth. 

    Without hesitation, several other ninja emerged from the foliage behind Sasuke. Aiko recognized the masks of the ANBU and asked why they hadn’t helped her. It was so startling, after everything, to see them there. Why had they been hiding in the bushes? 

    “We just got here,” their team leader informed her, correcting Aiko’s assumption, as they began gathering up Nanami and Karasu’s bodies to be placed next to each other so they could be disposed of together. 

    “Naruto came to me first,” Sasuke added, “I was leaving the Hokage building when he came yelling at me. They he ran off just as quickly to talk to Kakashi.” The Uchiha’s mouth twitched with a faint smile, “Idiot.” 

    “The Hokage sent us after Sasuke as backup, but mainly to dispose of the bodies of any dead. The Okumura might be their own clan, but they still hold valuable secrets of the Hidden Leaf.”

    Aiko nodded as she watched the ANBU perform their Body Elimination Jutsu, leaving behind no trace of Nanami or Karasu behind. She shivered as she thought over how, if she had died instead, they would have done the same to her. It seemed almost surreal that it was all over, after years of torture and fighting, and Aiko found herself feeling empty. She imagined this was how Sasuke felt after killing his brother. 

    She was free. 

    But now she was left having to find a new direction. Aiko didn’t want to be on the road anymore, didn’t want to feel like she was on the run, escaping from her problems. Perhaps now was the time for her to fix her broken family. With her parents dead, she had the chance to truly take over and assumed her role as High Priestess. Maybe she could make difference. 

    Maybe now, everything wouldn’t be so bad.


	23. Change in Dynamic

    Aiko Okumura walked back through the main gate into her family compound. She expected to be bombarded with yet more troubles but, instead, she was greeted with expectant faces. Everyone had gathered outside and had been awaiting her return. Most of them chatted amongst themselves, filling the time that passed with meager distractions; children even sat on the ground in small groups as they played quiet games or listened to stories told by a few of their elders. 

    Hitomi was nowhere in sight as Aiko searched the crowd for her. She would later discover that her grandmother had been apprehended—along with several others—after the Hokage and a group of Leaf ninja stormed through the Okumura compound, as result of Naruto relaying Aiko’s message. It would come as a relief that the young girl’s most pressing issue upon her return had already been dealt with for her. After the death of her parents, Aiko just wanted a break. She wanted the fighting to stop. She wanted to rest. 

    Although Aiko couldn’t bring back Nanami or Karasu’s bodies as proof of her deed, she had something that would be just as convincing. Weary, the red head stepped towards the gathered crowd and produced her father’s sword. The glistening silver metal was still just as polished and sharp as Karasu always kept it, and the handle was a beautiful, intricate weave of black cord wrapped around grey rayskin. Even the guard that separated the handle from the blade displayed an ornate design of small dragons weaving lazily in time-frozen circles. If it had been anyone else’s weapon, Aiko would have found it beautiful, but all she saw now was a cruel tool that had been wielded for all the wrong reasons. She hated the sight of it. 

    In one, swift motion, Aiko held the sword with the tip pointing at the earth and drove the blade into the ground. Everyone knew what it meant that she had returned with their leader’s weapon, but to drive the point home even further, Aiko had been allowed to take small strips from both of her parents’ clothing. She tied these blood-soaked ribbons to the sword’s hilt as further emphasis that her parents were dead. 

    None of the clan dared speak up, but they whispered amongst themselves as they eyed the red head before them with curiosity and awe. To watch one of their own—one of the most beaten and broken individuals in their entire clan—rise up and overthrow their strongest powers was truly a sight to behold. It made some feel giddy, while others felt fear for what Aiko might do now. Almost all of them had hurt her in some way—whether through words or physical pain—and the Okumura had long prided themselves on holding deep-rooted grudges. They wondered if she would do the same. 

    Aiko took a deep breath, reassured by Sasuke’s presence next to her, and said what she never in her wildest dreams thought she would ever say: “Nanami and Karasu are dead. Your leaders have fallen. By my right, I assume my position as High Priestess. Those who would stand by me, know that I harbor no ill will, but I will not tolerate cruelty in this family any longer. To myself but also to any others. Should you oppose me, know that you are then not welcome in the clan and you shall be handed over to the Village to be dealt with in whatever way they see fit.” Aiko paused, looking around at the faces of so many she recognized. Any malice they might once have had for her was now dissolving away as they recognized her for her display of strength and perseverance. She was what they valued in a leader, what they expected from any head of the clan. The Okumura looked at Aiko and saw only prosperity for their family. 

    But a few of them held expressions of hesitation. 

    What did her new leadership entail in regards to the family business that they had all spent centuries building?

    Aiko noticed the few faces with this obvious question written all over their features. “Also,” she began once more, “I plan to dissolve all but one branch of our family’s operations—“ 

    The response was immediate as all of the elders and adults of the clan erupted in protest. Even some of the younger members looked angry. They shouted at her, calling her crazy. What else was there for them to do if she took away the only way they had ever known to make money? She would bankrupt the family! Everyone would starve to death by the end of the year! 

    Aiko tried to shout over them, to quiet their torrent of angry yelling, but her voice drowned in their overwhelming majority. So she did the only thing she knew would work: 

    In quick motion, Aiko unstrapped her fan, opened it, and swung it with a light push. Only a rough breeze blew forward as it rammed into the crowd, blowing their hair and clothes wildly behind them, silencing them instantly. 

    “This is not negotiable,” Aiko explained with authority, “I will not stand for this family’s legacy to consist of murder and torture and malpractice.”

    “And you would have us do what, then?!” A woman shouted, “Be farmers? Be ninja carrying out low-ranking missions for the Hidden Leaf?!” There were collective groans amongst the crowd as more chimed in:

    “Our businesses are already established! Why can’t we keep them?!” 

    “We don’t want to start over!”

    “None of us have been raised to do such petty work! It’s beneath us!”

    Many agreed. 

    Aiko rubbed her temples and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, “Will you all shut up!” They quieted. “If you just let me finish, you could save your pathetic whining! I’m not saying you need to be farmers or work for the Hidden Leaf! And if you had listened, I told you I’m allowing one branch of the business to remain.” The clan murmured their irritation but held their tongues when it came to speaking out. They would listen to what Aiko had to say. 

    “Our clan is good at one thing above all else,” Aiko said, making sure she had everyone’s attention, “We have always dealt in information. The selling and buying of it, in particular.” Aiko pointed at several of her aunts and uncles, “I know for a fact that we have a well established network of spies spread out across many villages. Why can’t we use that for a better cause? We are apart of Konohagakure, are we not? Even if all of you pretend this isn’t true.”

    “You would have us collect and give information to the Hidden Leaf?” One of Aiko’s aunts asked with heavy skepticism. 

    “The Okumura are the best information brokers to ever exist,” the red head explained, “I’m not asking you to do it for free. I can’t ask all of you to give up centuries of only looking out for the clan’s wellbeing. But I propose this: Let our only business be in the dealing of information. With one exception: we don’t sell anything on the Hidden Leaf. Do what you will with regards to the other villages, our clan still needs to make a living, but we must protect the village that we are a part of. Just as any of Konoha’s people would protect it themselves.”

    The clan muttered to each other as they thought on this new direction. It wouldn’t be so bad. The element of danger would still be present—being an information broker still came with it’s own set of risks—but it was nothing they weren’t already doing. But doing this Aiko’s way gave the family some credibility. It would also eliminate the more severe dangers that came with their more darker operations. 

    “Information is valuable,” One of Aiko’s cousins interjected, stepping forward, “but it can’t support all of us.” Some of the others nodded as they thought on this. “There has to be more we can do. There was a reason there were so many branches to the family business.”

    “Then our aid to the Hidden Leaf will extend further,” Aiko said sharply, her blue eyes fixing on the small form of her cousin. “You all seem keen to keep your ties to the family’s darker dealings, so here’s this proposition: Konoha employs its own assassins—that’s what some of their ANBU are trained for—you can be that.”

    “Assassin’s for the Hidden Leaf?!” Her cousin scoffed, as if offended by the very idea of working for someone else. 

    “You’d rather be a farmer?” Aiko asked sarcastically. Her cousin only glared in response. “Alright,” Aiko continued, “I get that this is clearly a lot. It’s also not something that needs to be discussed with all of you. So, if the clan elders could come with me, we can flesh out the finer details and then we all can get what we want.” 

    There was a grumbling of acceptance throughout the clan. A lot of the younger members resented that they didn’t get to be there to make such impacting choices for the family. Aiko didn’t want to argue with a bunch of children, however. She needed this resolved. She wouldn’t have the ground torn from under her just as she had become High Priestess. Not even a day in power and they were already fighting her decisions. Aiko sighed in acceptance though, she knew leading the family was never an easy job. But changing the Okumura for the better was a worthy cause.

    And a cause she would fight for. 

    As the crowd began to disperse, Aiko and Sasuke were left with a handful of elders that would serve as the voices for the rest of the clan. Aiko nodded at the much more reasonable group that was left, this would make everything go much smoother. 

    “Alright,” Aiko said as she waved a hand, beckoning the elders to follow her as she made to leave the compound, “Let’s take this to the Hokage. I don’t want any clashing agreements, so we’re going to do this right. I want these matters solved quickly so we can get the family functioning again.” Everyone nodded as they followed along. 

    They were all in accord with Aiko’s plan. However, a change of power and the dissolving of the clan’s many business branches made most of them feel bitter. They were sour towards Aiko and her ideas for change, but in the back of their minds, they recognized it as the right thing to do. 

    The _safe_ thing to do.

    Aiko didn’t know it, but the Okumura business had been beginning to tap into much more dangerous territory over the last year—with Karasu and Nanami guiding it there. Like cattle to the slaughter. Many in the clan feared for their safety, more than they normally did. Their dealings had begun to go from small assassinations and minor tortures towards plans of aiding in overthrowing leaders, assisting in mutinies, and the selling of much more illegal products on the black markets. All of which had started painting targets on the Okumura Clan as a whole. Even going so far as to begin making it almost impossible for the family to hide the horrendous practices they dealt in. Had Aiko not overthrown her parents, her family would have fallen into turbulent waters and most likely drowned. Everyone would know them for what they practiced behind closed doors—would recognize them for the monsters they were. 

    Aiko would later learn of this, but her stance would remain the same. The Okumura is her family, the only one she’s ever known besides the Uchihas. There was good among them, there had to be. Aiko saw her clan for its potential, she knew she could save them. 

    They just needed to let her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter isn’t all that exciting... but I don’t want to leave behind any loose ends. This was really the only thing I needed to tie up before the end. But don’t worry! I have a couple chapters of Aiko x Sasuke fluff left to send you guys off right! Thank you so much for reading this far! Let me know what you think! <3


	24. Simple

    “Is it over?” Aiko asked as she looked out the widow of the home that was once her parents. Now it was hers.

    “I think it’s safe to say yes,” Sasuke answered as he looked out with her. He stood behind her, arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close. Aiko basked in the warm feeling of his chest against her back. It was a comfortable pressure that kept her grounded, kept her from thinking that maybe this was a dream. 

    It was so strange to think she could finally relax. She had done it! Her parents were gone and she was High Priestess, and the family was finally turning itself around. It was all a feat that Aiko never thought she would ever accomplish, or that she would ever even have the opportunity to do. But, even so, with the death of old challenges comes the birth of new ones. Aiko taken over the family, but now she had to run it. 

    Not that she was complaining. Tying up loose ends, reworking the family business, even correcting behavioral problems among the Okumura who were still so rooted in their cruel ways, it was a walk in the park compared to what Aiko had gone through. 

    Outside, Aiko and Sasuke watched as the clan’s servants tended the small flower garden that sat in the center of the compound. They trimmed back any wild stems, pulled weeds, and fed the koi that swam in lazy lines within the pond that rested in the middle of it all. Those beautiful fish still didn’t have a care in the world. Almost as if nothing existed outside their little home. There was just the crisp, clear water and the blessedly placed lilies to hide under when the sun beat down too fiercely. 

    Aiko still envied them, but not quite so intensely anymore. 

    “What do we do now, Sasuke?” Aiko asked. “We’ve been on the road for so long, I don’t think I really know how to be back here anymore.”

    Sasuke hugged the red head a little tighter in reassurance, “Just start with fixing your clan. That’s already a big job. Worry about the rest later.”

    Aiko turned in the Uchiha’s arms, “And you? Will you stay with me?”

    “Where else would I go?”

    “You could rebuild your own clan now,” Aiko said softly, “Now that you’ve... now that everything’s finished.” Dark, onyx eyes locked with her own blue ones and she saw a longing within them. “You deserve a start over, after everything that’s happened these last five years. The last ten years, even. You’ve been through so much...” 

    Raising a hand, Aiko gently cupped Sasuke’s face. He remained motionless a moment, eyes somber, until he finally pressed his cheek more firmly into her palm. Aiko smiled, truly happy, as she stared at the only man she had ever loved in her life. Everything was falling into place, everything was finally starting to make sense for once. But most importantly...

    She felt she could _breathe_.  

    “If I rebuild my clan, Aiko, I would only want to with you,” Sasuke finally said, a spark lighting in his dark eyes. 

    Aiko blushed and looked away, dropping her hand onto his arm—which was still wrapped around her, “I don’t want you to feel like your obligated to be with me,” she explained hesitantly, voicing a concern that had been on her mind lately. “I’ll always love you Sasuke, and I could never be with anyone else, but I’ll be okay if you want to take some time to find yourself. Let your wounds heal, especially the ones left behind by your brother. There’s no rush.”

    For the first time in a long time, Sasuke smiled widely and genuinely. There was a bright, lifting happiness in it and for a moment, Aiko was seeing the Sasuke that had been lost ten years ago with the death of his clan. 

    “You stood by me through my darkest times, Aiko,” Sasuke replied, “When I was at my lowest, when I hated everything, when I betrayed everyone who was ever unfortunate enough to get close to me and I ran away. You came with me even though it put you in danger, even though it frightened you. I don’t think I can ever measure up to your courage or bravery, but what kind of person would I be if I left you now? After everything? You finally have the chance to live a good life with your family—neither of us even contemplated that possibility. I _want_ to be by your side.”

    With restrained eagerness, Sasuke pressed his lips to Aiko. Immediately, she reciprocated. This was all she ever wanted, ever needed. Just to be loved. To have someone who cared about her. Even if Sasuke did leave one day, Aiko would always be content, knowing that there was someone out there that felt this way about her. It made her feel whole. But she would never be his chain, holding him back, tethering him to anything he didn’t want to be tethered to. And she knew he would never try holding her back either. 

    The two of them had always built each other up, it what they had always done. There was no point in keeping one another from their true potential. No point in smothering each other’s ambitions. They had both seen and known people in their lives that felt obligated to certain social standards, who held themselves back because of their fear—who became what their parents or friends told them they would be good at or settled into motions and paths that didn’t make them feel quite whole. 

    That wasn’t the kind of life either of them wanted.     

    Aiko grinned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Sasuke’s neck and pulling him closer. His own arms hugged her more tightly to his chest and the two of them reveled in the overwhelming passion that passed between them. It was like years and years of bottled emotions were finally spilling out into the light. It felt _good_. They both wanted to live in this moment of warmth and brightness forever. 

    When, finally, they pulled away to catch their breath, Aiko couldn’t help but laugh.  She couldn’t help it. It was just so strange how well everything had turned out. Even though, deep down, a part of her was painfully sad that she had had to kill her parents. And, inwardly, Aiko admitted that it would probably always be a sadness that she carried with her, no matter what. He parent had been horrible, awful people, but she couldn’t help loving them still.  

    Sasuke grinned and kissed Aiko’s forehead. Her laughter was a contagious, melodic sound that he knew he could fall in love with. Maybe not right now, but he could see himself settling with her. She would be the only one. No one else moved him or supported him as much as Aiko did. Even Sakura, who had bellowed her love for him many times and tried her hardest to prove that she cared about him the most could never hold a place as intensely in his heart as Aiko did. She just understood him, completely. More than anyone else ever could. 

    Aiko could understand Sasuke’s pain and she had never—even once—tried to make him move on from it. She understood that it was a part of him, that he would always carry it. It shaped him. And she accepted him as he was. 

    She always would. 

    “I don’t want to be anywhere else,” Sasuke said as they both just basked in each other’s closeness. 

    Aiko smiled softly this time and planted a short kiss of her own on Sasuke’s lips, “I love you,” she whispered. “I’ll always love you.”


End file.
